Kate Garraway feels 'selfish' for fearing 'physically changed' Derek wouldn't remember her
KATE GARRAWAY has said she feels selfish for thinking her covid-stricken husband Derek Draper wouldn't remember her or their children after his year-long health battle.
Kate Garraway admits to feeling 'selfish' over Derek Draper
Kate Garraway, 53, discussed Derek’s health battle following the release of her book The Power Of Hope today. The Good Morning Britain star’s husband returned home earlier this month after a year in hospital, where he had been in an induced coma.
I dreaded that he wouldn’t remember us
Derek was first hospitalised in March 2020 with coronavirus and later suffered from further health complications including damage to his liver and pancreas.
Giving an update today, the mother-of-two reflected on Derek’s health journey on This Morning.
At one point, she admitted she feared he’d no longer remember who she and their two children Darcey and Billy was.
Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, she said: “I dreaded that he wouldn’t remember us, which is rather selfish of me actually, because I don’t know if he’d have been in a better or worse position.
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“But, it’s just that life you’ve built together and how much he loves the children and how much he loves family life and all his family and friends.
“The thought that he’d lost that, that would’ve been very hard.
“At one point, we thought we’d be caring for him at home and we’d be strangers.
“And that's terrifying for him and strange for us.”
But, thankfully for the family, Kate said he is aware of who they are and has been reacting to things they do.
“We're definitely so glad to have him home,” she continued. “Now there are things he does which are miraculous.
"He is saying some words, but it's not a conversation."
Derek, who the host says is “physically very changed”, is currently under 24 hour care at their home.
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On how her children have adapted to the situation, Kate said they do their best to help and are aware of what he needs.
But, she admitted there is still some uncertainty on whether he can stay at home for good.
"We have incredible support to see how things go and hopefully he can stay at home," she added.
"It does need a huge amount of support. He needs 24/7 support. I couldn’t do it because it’s specific medical stuff."
Kate went on to discuss how she coped as a single mum during Derek’s hospital ordeal.
The Smooth Radio presenter said at one point their daughter asked if she had thought about killing herself.
She explained: “I think they were at times wondering if I was going to be okay, whether I could keep going.
“I do put that in the book, Darcey at one point actually said, ‘Mum, are you going to kill yourself?’ Out of the blue.”
Kate also credited her children for keeping her strong during their difficult time as a family.