Kate Garraway was visibly emotional as she gave an update on her husband Derek Draper’s health this morning.
The Good Morning Britain presenter, 55, opened up to Lorraine Kelly about the struggles she's faced in caring for Derek long-term, including that she feels like a burden to her co-presenters.
Tragically, Derek is still recovering after contracting Covid in March 2020, after which he ended up in intensive care and spent over a year in hospital.
The bubbly mother-of-two appeared sombre as she spoke about caring for her husband and admitted she really empathised with anyone else caring for someone they love.
In the emotional discussion, Kate revealed that she is worried her colleagues are “fed up to the back teeth” of her talking about her family’s health struggles, after Derek recently spent another worrying few days in hospital.
When Lorraine asked how Derek was doing, Kate frankly said: "Oh, I mean you know, it's a long onslaught. I can see he has better days, he has worse days. He is thankfully at home now. It's been a long battle to get him back home again.”
In the honest conversation, Kate also shared her fears about the impact that Derek’s health has on her friends and colleagues, as well as herself and their children.
"I can't help thinking, you Lorraine, all the people around me, the people at GMB, at Smooth Radio as well must be fed up to the back teeth of it,” she said.
"That is the problem, I think, if you are caring or if you have a long-term situation as Derek has. It doesn't go away quickly and the fight goes on."
Kate took a moment to praise her co-star and friend Ben Shephard for being “extraordinary” throughout the turbulent and difficult past few years for her, as she clutched her chest and held back some tears.
"I think it's very tough on him and very tough on the people around me actually,” Kate added. “All jokes aside, Ben - for all his unbelievable cheek - has been extraordinary.”
Ben was quick to respond and reassured Kate that everyone understands that she needs to speak about the on-going situation, as there are always fluctuations in Derek’s health.
While Lorraine reminded her that she asked how Derek was, and everyone still wants to know how he’s getting on including the public, after the ITV documentary, Caring for Derek.
Ben said: "The really important thing to say it Kate thinks that - and that is just not the case. I can understand how you feel like that because it dominates your life."
She replied: "Sometimes people say: 'She's talking about that again.' I don't want to go on about it.”
Kate shared a lesson that she’s taken from the situation, is that no one talks about caring for someone you love long-term, and it’s a situation you can’t understanding until you live it.
She continued: “What I've learnt - and this is a negative/positive - is that you only really know what it feels like until you're there. You imagine it, but you don't know.”
"I now get contacted every day which makes me feel less isolated by genuinely thousands and thousands of people.
"Please say more because we are struggling and we don't have a situation where support is there.”
