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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

Kate Garraway endures 'tricky 48 hours' days after sharing new picture of smiling husband Derek

Kate Garraway has shared how she was given a bit of hope after telling fans she'd endured a 'tricky 48 hours'. The Good Morning Britain star shared how she found solace at the sign of 'new life' as she headed out into the garden, a place that has become a haven for her since her husband's ill health.

Many fans are aware that Kate's husband Derek Draper suffered severe complications after contracting coronavirus in March 2020. The former political advisor was struck down with the virus and quickly became critically ill. He is believed to be the worst-affected living Covid patient in the UK after spending 13 months in hospital between March 2020 and April 2021.

Despite fighting back and returning home after more than a year in the hospital, Derek is still facing serious and devasting consequences today. But just a few days ago, Kate shared a smiling photo of her husband at their London home - a rare occurrence as she normally keeps photos of her husband private - as she heaped praise on one of his carers.

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She took to Instagram with the snap which sees Derek sitting up in bed with a smile on his face and holding hands with his healthcare professional, Jake. "Many of you will remember Jake who cared for Derek when he first came out of hospital in April 21 - from the documentary #caringforderek, so you will know what a wonderful healthcare professional he is," Kate started her post.

She then added: "The world of carers never fails to surprise me with their depths of talent, thoughtfulness and motivation #happyfriday all!" It is the first time Kate has shared a photo of Derek since March 2022, when she posted a snap of Derek in his wheelchair in the garden with their son Billy, as she spoke about how gardening had been pivotal to keeping on top of her own mental health.

And it appears Kate has sought solace in her garden again as took to Twitter with an uplifitng post. Alongside a photo of some gorgeous yellow Crocuses, Kate penned: "So this is why I love nature and gardening so much. After a tricky 48 hours of feeling like I am trudging uphill on ice, my first Crocus bursts up - the spirit of life and hope in gorgeous yellow form."

She then posted the same image on Instagram with a slightly different caption which read: "So this is why I love nature & gardening so much - after a tricky 48 hours of feeling like am trudging up hill on ice my first crocus bursts up - the spirit of life & hope in gorgeous yellow form!!"

Earlier this month, Kate shared how she suffered an incident with Derek in a taxi when she had to rush him to the hospital. The TV and radio presenter made the comments during an appearance on GMB on January 13 when she and co-host Ben Shephard were discussing whether taxis should be sent out for 999 calls to help with the pressure being put on the NHS ambulance services, particularly following the latest strike action.

The 55-year-old revealed how Derek slipped out of his wheelchair while trying to get into the taxi. She explained: “I’ve used a lot of cabs for Derek to go to and from appointments because the mobility services are very very delayed, ambulances are delayed. But if you try and book an official car you can sometimes waiting five hours to bring you home for hospital. He was in a lot of pain, it wasn’t sustainable so we took a cab home from the hospital. We went over a speed bump and he slipped out of his wheelchair."

While Ben remarked that the incident was something Kate "wouldn’t have envisioned" happening, she replied: "It’s hard. It’s hard to deal with. You want someone with you to manage that." But sharing praise for the taxi driver who helped Derek, Kate said: "I was really lucky the black cab driver that had a mobility access his father he’d cared for post-stroke so he was really good at handling someone with that condition.

"The two of us were hauling him back into the wheelchair, strapping him in and got him home. But I just thought many a taxi driver would say, ‘I can’t deal with it.’ I wasn’t even sure I could deal with."

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