Kate Garraway has said it would be “wonderful” if her husband has recovered enough for them to go together to Buckingham Palace when she picks up her MBE.
Derek Draper has been bedridden since he caught coronavirus in March 2020, resulting in a 13-month hospital stay and a lengthy medically induced coma.
He is now being cared for at home and has had trips out in a wheelchair.
On her MBE, Kate, 55, said: “It was amazing. But I haven’t received it yet, so I don’t want to tempt fate in case they retract the offer.
“I do feel there’s room for celebration, though, and my hope is that if we do eventually have a ceremony, Derek will be further along in his recovery and we can go together. That would be wonderful.”
Speaking to Good Housekeeping, she added: “When you nearly lose someone, it certainly brings everything into sharp focus.
“We’re still learning how we are as man and wife, so much has changed. It’s the same for the children, they’re having to relearn the experience of being with their dad. And, of course, the biggest learning is for poor Derek.”
Kate, who charted her husband’s illness in two ITV documentaries, has been caring for him alongside professional care and in December they managed a family trip to a pantomime.
Speaking in January, Kate said: “One of the people who showed us to our seat was in tears and saying, ‘oh, gosh, I can’t tell you how much it helped me watching the documentary, I was feeling very low’.
“Derek’s doing all right... his speech isn’t there, but you can see he’s aware something special is happening.”
She has vowed to continue to shine a light on issues people face in getting help in the social care system and the challenges of long Covid.
Kate said now she tries to live in the moment more than ever. She said: “Life is just a collection of moments – and finding more good ones than bad ones is probably the secret to it all.”
The full interview is in Good Housekeeping, on sale today.
