Derek Draper on Christmas day with Darcey and Billy
(Picture: KateGarraway/Instagram)Kate Garraway has revealed she believes her husband Derek Draper’s brain has been “undoubtedly” affected by Covid.
The presenter, 54, has been filming a sequel to her award-winning documentary Finding Derek as he continues his recovery at home.
It comes as a US study suggests people who catch Covid are more likely to go on to suffer depression and anxiety.
Speaking on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain, she said: “He’s still terribly affected by Covid. Undoubtedly it’s had an effect, certainly on his brain connection in the body.
“I don’t know about mental well-being, if I’m absolutely honest, because he’s still so affected in terms of communication and mobility.
“I wouldn’t feel qualified to say whether it has had an impact in terms of depression and anxiety. It must be, I would’ve thought.”
Dr Hilary Jones said the condition is often much more than a respiratory illness, attacking multiple organs in the most serious cases.
It came days after the presenter revealed she has discovered a “new way to be in love” with her husband as he recovers from Covid.
The mum-of-two has been caring for her husband since he returned home in April 2021.
She told You magazine: “I’m not sure that we’ve ever fallen out of love, but I think a new path is emerging, a new way to be in love.
“He puts huge trust in me. He just says, “Whatever you think”, which is wonderful, but I do get quite tearful about it. I think, “God, I hope I’m worthy of that trust”.
“But I’ve got his back. That is a relationship in itself, isn’t it? How many times do couples have doubts about each other? That’s a positive thing to come out of this, to have that certainty of each other. He and I are very close.”
Often the TV star has given updates about her husband’s recovery in interviews, on GMB or on Instagram.
Their family - including their children Darcey, 15, and Billy, 12 - have been on an emotional journey which was captured in Finding Derek.
It has been confirmed there will be a sequel to the documentary.
The former political advisor is free of the virus but he continues to make a recovery from the long-lasting impact Covid had on him.
US researchers looked at data for 153,848 people who had experienced coronavirus and compared them with more than 560,000 with no history of Covid and a further large control group from before the pandemic.
The results showed Covid was associated with an increased risk of mental health problems including anxiety, depression, substance use and sleep problems, up to a year after infection.
Compared with the non-infected group, people with Covid showed a 60% higher risk of a mental health diagnosis or needing a mental health prescription at the one-year point.
