Kate Garraway has revealed that her husband Derek Draper travelled to Mexico to take part in a ground-breaking medical trial.
Former Labour political aide Derek was first admitted to hospital with Covid-19 in March last year and had the worst coronavirus infection of any surviving patient.
He nearly died six times at the height of his fight with the virus and, despite being free from coronavirus, it has left a lasting impact on his body.
But now, Kate has told how she joined her sick husband on the 11,000-mile trip as PM Boris Johnson lifted the country's Covid restrictions, reports the Mirror.
And the journey comes as the GMB presenter also admitted her hubby is "desperate to get better" and described how a US doctor contacted her after seeing Derek on TV.
The 54-year-old father of two underwent treatment at a special clinic in Monterrey and is set to return to the location next month for another 28-day stay.
During that time doctors will monitor his brain, liver and lung function. He has required around-the-clock care since contracting Covid-19 in March 2020.
Talking about the trip, Kate told The Sun it took weeks of planning and said her husband of 16 years was "excited" to learn about the opportunity.
"He is just so desperate to get better," she said. "He will do anything he can to make that happen.
"I think actually there’s a huge amount of hope for him to improve. I think the treatment could be positive. I want to be slightly careful about saying too much, because I’m aware everybody will go, 'What is the trial?'
"And I don’t want to start something, offering up false hope to others who might be in a similar position."
Kate admitted she's desperate to provide a happy ending for herself, Derek and all those who continue to ask about his condition.
She realises her partner isn't out of the woods just yet and said it's difficult to know exactly how the treatment is going as it is in its early stages, but believes there were "a lot of positives".
Before Derek embarked on his journey he had to undergo a series of oxygen and pressure tests to ensure his body would be able to cope with the extensive travelling.
Kate also revealed that he had to have a specialist travel nurse at his side to take care of him, but said he was "amazing" and gushed about how proud she is of her man.
An update on Derek's condition is set to be shown to the nation on a new documentary titled Caring for Derek.
The show is a follow-up to the hugely successful Finding Derek and will allow viewers an insight on the toll placed on the pair and their family because of the virus.
Derek, whose leg tendons and muscles have seized up, is said to sleep between 16 and 20 hours a day with his adoring wife managing barely a quarter of that as she continues to care for him as well as working her presenter jobs.
In a bid to help restore Derek's lung function, the family has rented a hyperbanic oxygen tank, while Kate is also said to be wanting to try hydrotherapy sessions.
She's admitted to feeling loneliness following Derek's debilitation and says her partner "dreams about the 'before'".
"There's a kind of heartbreak in his eyes, every single morning," she admitted. "You can just see it. It reminds me of when you’d have a horrible break-up and wake up in the morning, feeling all right - and then that sort of sucker punch of remembering.
Caring For Derek airs Tuesday on ITV1 at 9pm.
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