Kate Garraway has given an emotional speech after winning a National Television Award for her recent documentary about caring for her ill husband Derek. The Good Morning Britain presenter scooped best Authored Documentary at Thursday's NTAs for her Caring for Derek documentary about her family life with husband Derek Draper, who has suffered long-term health issues since contracting Covid in March 2020.
Attending the star-studded red carpet event at London's OVO Arena Wembley with her daughter Darcey Mary, Garraway beat competition from the likes of Katie Price, Paddy and Christine McGuinness and the late Tom Parker to win the gong, delivering an emotional speech afterwards where she thanked her husband for his "incredible fighting spirit."
Accepting the award, Garraway said: "He is back in hospital at the moment, fighting on incredibly and we hope that he will come home soon." She thanked her husband for his "incredible fighting spirit", adding: "We love you." The presenter also paid tribute to carers up and down the UK, saying: "We have a care crisis in our country but we don't have a crisis of love. The professional carers are extraordinary, the people who care for those they love are extraordinary. That's probably why you voted for this because you know it too... we all need some care and love."
Read more: Kate Garraway gives heart-breaking update as husband Derek remains in hospital
Earlier today Garraway, who also took home the award in 2021 for her first programme about her husband's illness, said being nominated for an award for the documentary was "bittersweet”. She told the PA news agency: “It’s bittersweet, because you wouldn’t really want to be in a position to be making that documentary because it wouldn’t be a situation that you would choose.
“However, there were many nights when we feared Derek will be taken from us completely. So the fact that he fights on so incredibly, and we have the chance to care for him, is a fantastic thing. And to have the opportunity to celebrate the amazing work carers do, the professional carers, the millions of unpaid carers all across the country that are looking after loved ones, I think is a fantastic thing.”
The TV presenter added that her husband has helped her through difficult times and she finds him “inspiring”, and that the support of the nation has also lifted her. “People have been really lovely to me. One of the pluses about having a job which puts you in the public eye is that people know you so you do get a lot of support.
“And sometimes I think that’s why I need to speak up about this because there’s millions of people that maybe don’t have that around them. I’m very lucky.”
Garraway faced competition in the category from Katie Price: What Harvey Did Next; Julia Bradbury: Breast Cancer And Me; Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family And Autism; and Tom Parker: Inside my Head.
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