Kate Garraway’s husband Derek Draper is back in hospital following his ongoing battle with long-COVID.
The 55-year-old TV presenter revealed at the TRIC awards that her husband is no longer at the family home, saying, “He has been back in [hospital] for a bit.”
Derek, 55, returned to the family home in April 2021 after spending a devastating 13 months in hospital, making him the UK’s longest suffering COVID patient.
The former political advisor first became seriously ill in March 2020, marking the beginning of what would be a life-changing battle with the virus that would leave long-lasting damage to his organs – and almost end his life.
Kate previously spoke about becoming Derek’s full-time carer in the award-winning documentaries Finding Derek and Caring For Derek, admitting that she didn’t know if her husband – whom she married in 2005 - would have “any kind of life again.”
Kate first opened up on June 12 about Derek’s more recent health decline, posting a montage of her garden alongside the caption “Derek has been in and out of hospital a lot recently – hopefully the wonderful health teams will help him improve.” She revealed to her one million Instagram followers how she was getting through the “exhausting and fretful” times by getting out into nature, calling her garden her “happy place”.
Kate recently spoke about navigating life after COVID, praising the couple’s children – Darcey, 16, and Billy, 12 – for being “amazing all the way through.”
Speaking on the challenges they now face as a family of four, the TV host and broadcaster explained “They’re having to relearn the experience of being with their dad […] and, of course, the biggest learning is for poor Derek.”
Read more in the latest issue of Closer magazine - OUT NOW.