Kate Garraway has opened up about the high cost of her husband Derek Draper’s treatment, as he continues to live with long Covid three years after he was first diagnosed.
The Good Morning Britain presenter spoke candidly about how things have been “tough financially”, adding that her family has not had any “special treatment” from the NHS over the years.
Draper was hospitalised with Covid-19 in March 2020 and had to be placed under a medically induced coma. He woke up several months later, but was only able to go home in April 2021, more than a year after he was first admitted.
The author and former political advisor received 24-hour care at home, provided by Garraway and healthcare professionals. Garraway has given periodic updates on his condition since the beginning and last year released an ITV documentary titled Kate Garraway: Finding Derek about how their lives have changed.
Giving an update on Draper’s medical progress, Garraway told The Sun that his “spirit” fluctuates”.
“Sometimes he lies there, unable to move, with tears rolling down his face and it is heart-breaking,” she said. “But if it’s hard for us, I cannot imagine how hard it must be for him.”
She revealed that there are days when Draper “literally cannot do anything” and experiences a lot of pain when they try to get him mobile to ensure his progress continues.
“It is unbearable and it makes me emotional even talking about it,” she admitted.
Addressing “the assumption” that she and Derek may get “special treatment” due to her prominence on TV, Garraway added: “We haven’t jumped any queues, which is just as it should be. There are only so many resources, and we are still waiting on referrals from almost three years ago.”
She spoke about having to take “long periods” of time off work in the early months of Draper’s illness and said the “overall income for the family” has been affected because he can’t work anymore.
“As anyone with a loved one who is seriously ill knows, the costs go through the roof in so many ways,” she explained. “You have to make changes to your home and it affects your ability to work.”
But the family isn’t giving up on getting Draper the treatments he needs. Garraway acknowledged that she is “in an incredibly lucky position compared to so many” and wants to “speak up now on behalf of everyone else”.
Last December, Garraway admitted that she felt conscious of people becoming “fed up” of her talking about Draper’s health.
Appearing on Lorraine alongside co-anchor Ben Shephard, the presenter said: “I don’t want to go on about it because what I’ve learnt 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 of people saying, ‘Please say more because we are struggling’.”
