Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway has reflected on her husband Derek Draper’s recovery from Covid on Thursday night’s DNA Journey.
The 55-year-old appeared on the ITV show alongside fellow presenter Alison Hammond to retrace her ancestry.
However, the revered broadcaster began the episode by revealing that her other half “remains very damaged”.
Draper is one of the UK’s longest-suffering patients of Covid after being first admitted to hospital back in March 2020 with the virus.
He returned home in April 2021, where he continues to receive round-the-clock care.
Speaking on the show, Garraway admitted: “2020 was a devastating year. With Derek, he got very sick very early on in the pandemic and has remained very damaged.
“That is quite well documented because for a lot of people, he’s come to symbolise the fight that goes on.”
The presenter also paid tribute to pal and ITV co-worker Hammond, who appeared on the show alongside her, for being so supportive during the difficult period in her life.
Garraway added: “Alison, she was messaging me to say she was thinking of me in that way.”
The ITV star has a lot on her plate as she juggles raising the couple’s two children, Darcey, 16, and William, 13, with looking after Draper and hosting Good Morning Britain.
Draper fell seriously ill with coronavirus in March 2020 and, despite now being free of the virus, he has suffered long-lasting damage to his organs and requires daily care.
Following his most recent health scare, in July, Garraway took three weeks off from the ITV breakfast show to be by former political adviser Draper’s side as he battled sepsis.
She told concerned viewers in August: “The sepsis is under control. One kidney is looking really good, just need to look at the other one.
“We’re back on the right side of it now.”
