Kate Garraway and Derek Draper's lives have been changed ever since he first contracted Covid-19 two years ago.
The couple have been married for 17 years and share two children named Darcey, 16, and William, 12. The political adviser fell seriously ill after testing positive and was admitted to hospital on March 30, 2020.
Derek spent 374 days in hospital and is still suffering from multiple health issues after fighting off the virus. Kate has charted her husband's gruelling road to recovery across two documentaries over the past year.
READ MORE: Kate Garraway announces next career move on Good Morning Britain
Derek still requires 24 hour care and we have built up a timeline of how the Garraway family have been forced to adapt over the past two years.
Derek's hospital admission
Kate first revealed that Derek was battling coronavirus on April 3 after he was admitted to hospital on March 30. Derek didn't have the initial typical symptoms, such as a fever and cough, and instead had numbness in his hand - while also experiencing headaches and breathlessness.
Kate called Dr Hilary Jones for advice, who told her to call an ambulance immediately after Derek struggled to hold his breath for longer than ten seconds. He was rushed to intensive care and was said to be "seriously ill" with the virus and put into an induced coma.
A representative for Kate said at the time: "Kate's husband, Derek Draper, has been taken to hospital and is being treated in intensive care with a confirmed case of COVID-19. He was admitted on Monday and has since tested positive for the virus.
"Kate, hasn't been tested, however she has also been displaying mild symptoms, also since Monday, and as a result has been on strict isolation with her children at home."
Fighting for life in a coma
Derek was in a critical condition for the next few weeks and then Kate's GMB co-host Ben Shephard revealed he was in a coma.
Ben said: "She's wanted to share the fact that she's been able to speak with Derek in the evenings in a coma. She's been able to share music with him, talk to him and support him. It's tough, it's really, really tough because he's critically ill."
Kate wrote to her followers: "The journey for me and my family seems to be far from over as everyday my heart sinks as I learn new & devastating ways this virus has more battles for Derek to fight. But he is still HERE & so there is still hope."
Derek regains consciousness
Derek was taken out of his induced coma in July, but didn't regain consciousness straight away.
Kate told Hello! magazine: "I really believe he can hear. When medical staff say, 'Good morning, Derek,' he sometimes opens his eyes. We and the doctors are doing everything we can so that he can start to recover."
But doctors warned that Derek could be in a "minimum state of consciousness" for years. Kate revealed how he'd lost a "huge amount of weight" and "looked so different" after nurses shaved the long beard he'd grown while in hospital.
Kate shared that she had been told on six separate occasions that Derek was dying.
Derek utters his first word
Derek finally spoke in October after over 200 days in hospital. He said: "Pain" as doctors manipulated his body and sobbing Kate watched online.
Kate added: "We have had a breakthrough which was both amazing yet heartbreaking.
“It happened when the nurses were moving Derek, as part of his treatment, to trigger the sensation of gravity because he's been horizontal for so long.
“Obviously it’s so heart-wrenching that his first word was ‘pain’, but it is a huge breakthrough because it means he has been able to connect the feeling in his body to his brain and mouth."
Derek arrives home
Derek was able to return home in April 2021 after 374 days in hospital. The emotional moment Billy embraced his dad for the first time after coming home was captured in the documentary Caring For Derek.
Kate discussed the footage on Good Morning Britain and revealed it was the first time Derek could outstretch his arms.
She said: "That's just an extraordinary moment you see from the documentary here. I didn't actually see this until I watched the footage. It's the first moment that Derek moves his arm.
"Its makes me cry now. This is the day he came home back in April '21. "As Bill goes forward there, he moves his arm towards him. That is the first moment we seen him be able to activate a movement prompted by emotion. Not just someone going can you move your arm to the left or right."
Documentary win
Kate charted her husband's battle against long- Covid for the documentary Finding Derek. The programme first aired in March 2021 - and won best Authored Documentary at the National Television Awards in September.
She dedicated the award to Derek in a heartfelt acceptance speech at the ceremony.
She said: "I just want to say to all the Darcies and Billies and Dereks and Dereks' families, whatever you’re going through, you’re not forgotten. We want the joy back, we want it to be over but the fight goes on.
"But most of all Derek, you should be here and should have had the chance to tell your own story. Derek, you’re going to get the chance, believe! The hope is real! Thank you so much."
Days out with the family
Derek made a huge step in his recovery as he was taken to the theatre alongside his family in December. The Garraway family were pictured enjoying a trip to the Richmond theatre to watch Cinderella.
Kate was quoted by the Daily Mail after the theatre trip and said: “Last Christmas Eve, we did have a lot of promise and a lot of hope but Derek was in hospital.
“We had no idea whether he was going to live or die, praying that it was going in the right direction.”
Treatment in Mexico
Kate was contacted by a doctor in the US after Finding Derek, who offered to help him with a new treatment he has been developing. Derek flew to Mexico in November to begin the trial, which was captured in the Caring for Derek documentary, which aired last month.
Caring For Derek provided an insight into Kate's daily routine as she helps care for her husband. The broadcaster revealed Derek relies on carers to survive and would be dead within three days without aid.
The programme ended on a hopeful note as the couple will be returning to Mexico for another 28-day stay this month, during which doctors will continue to monitor his brain, liver and lung function.
Kate said: "If we have a love and he can be a dad to the children in a whole new way, then that's life, isn't it? A collection of moments. And that's what we have to fight for. To give people a chance for the best moments they can get."
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