Kate Garraway admitted she felt 'guilty' on her first day alone since husband Derek Draper contracted Covid-19.
The former lobbyist, 54, was hospitalised with the deadly virus in March last year, and after more than a year, he was allowed to go to the home he shares with wife Kate and their two children, Darcey, 15, and William, 12, in April.
However, he still requires round-the-clock care from a team of nurses, and Kate has offered regular updates on her husband’s health battle, as he continues to deal with the long-term effects of the virus.
The Good Morning Britain host is set to appear in Wednesday’s episode of the BBC Two show Walking With… which will follow her trek from from Painswick Beacon, in Gloucestershire, to the hillside above Great Witcombe.
In an emotional post on social media ahead of the show airing, Kate confessed she began feeling “very guilty” as it was the first time since Derek was hospitalised she had a full day to herself.
“It was such a special day of filming - the first & only day I have spent on my own , without Derek & the kids since he came home from hospital,” she wrote.
“I started off feeling very guilty at the indulgence of having the space, bathed in nature, to just ‘be’. And then as time went on as I walked & walked on my own gradually found a wonderful sense of perspective & energy renewal,” Kate shared, as she said she was “honoured” to be a part of the show.
The mother-of-two revealed she found calm and peace while walking alone, and it allowed her to gain a “new perspective” on her own life.
“There is something very calming about the rhythm of walking, to me. I think science says it’s to do with balancing both halves of the brain with the body or something!” she continued.
“Whatever it is when it is combined with nature in all its beauty & brutality, the force of life and, in its ‘season’, decay and damage I find it helps me get a new perspective on the ups and downs of my own life,” Kate mused.
Joking that the show focused on her “slightly bonkers walk - just me talking to myself”, Kate urged her followers to tune in.
During the episode, the TV presenter reflects on the tumultuous journey she and her family have been on since Derek was hospitalised, and she found great comfort on her solo walk.
“I was doing a lot of mindfulness and trying to create some space in my head when it feels life is quite overwhelming,” she explained.
“It’s much easier to do when you’re somewhere like this. It is much easier to hang on to the hope of a miracle. A great sense that anything can happen.”
Walking With… Kate Garraway airs on BBC Two at 7pm
