Kate Garraway refused to throw away a whiteboard in her home which had her husband’s handwritten sprawled across it.
The heartbroken Good Morning Britain host, 53, was riddled with anxiety that she may never see Derek’s handwriting again, as he lay in ICU battling Covid-19.
The TV star opened up about the devastating year she and her family have endured since Derek was diagnosed with the deadly virus last March.
Derek has now spent the last 12 months in hospital and was placed into a medically induced coma.
The author, who has been described as having the worst Covid infection than any living patient , regained minimal consciousness in July and uttered his first word "pain" in October.
In a moving scene from new ITV documentary, Finding Derek, Kate gave viewers a tour around her family home and the changes she’s made there while she continues to wait for her husband’s hopeful return home.
During the emotional clip, Derek’s devoted wife pointed to an old whiteboard which she was unable to get rid of due to its immense sentimental value.
Kate explained that before he was struck down with the virus, Derek would use the whiteboards during his ‘Saturday jobs’ as he caught up on some work.
But after his long stay in hospital, Kate’s loved-ones urged her to ‘tidy away’ her husband’s things in a bid to make life at home somewhat easier without his presence.
Despite this, Kate simply couldn’t part ways with her beloved husband’s possessions because she feared she would never see his handwriting again.
“I couldn’t get rid of it. It’s got his handwriting on it and I don’t know if I’ll see it again,” she said through tears.
“So, I’ll keep it for when he comes home and I’ll say ‘at last, you can finish your jobs now’.
“That would be good,” Kate smiled.
Following the heartbreaking scene, viewers flocked to Twitter to praise Kate’s bravery.
“Kate Garraway is an incredibly strong woman. I simply can’t imagine your life being so turned upside down so rapidly. So much respect for this woman,” gushed one fan.
“Sobbing watching Finding Derek. I’m an absolute wreck. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it has been for Kate and for families like hers all over the UK. Sending so much love,” another echoed.
Meanwhile, another tweeted: “Kate Garraway is so inspirational. The whiteboard clip got me sobbing.”
*Kate Garraway: Finding Derek is available on ITV Hub
