Kate Garraway has given fans a heartwarming update on her husband's recovery from Covid-19 as the family prepare to spend Christmas together.
The ITV presenter has described spending Christmas Eve with Derek Draper for the first time since he fell seriously ill with coronavirus as “the biggest gift”.
Former political adviser Derek is now home with his wife and children, Darcey and Billy, after spending last December in hospital.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain this morning, 54-year-old Kate admitted there was still a “long, long way to go” in his recovery, but that she felt grateful to have him home the festive period this year.
She gave viewers an update on his health, saying: “Obviously, he still has extraordinary problems with communication, mobility is very limited, massive problems with fatigue.”
She said sometimes "it's like he's not present", but said there are moments that made her think "he does get it, he does understand".
Kate went on to tell her co-host Richard Bacon about one such moment when the family were playing a "moral questions game" together.
She said the family were asked the question "who is most likely to find money on the floor and keep it?".
"We were playing it in his [Derek's] bedroom so he could be part of it, and everybody in the room which was my mum and dad, Darcey, Billy and myself, all said at the same time: Darcey. And he started to laugh," she said.
"Honestly, it was just the most lovely moment."
She added: "You get these extraordinary flashes which create a huge surge of hope and that has to sustain you in the periods when it feels like there's never going to be any change."
Reflecting on having him home this year, Kate 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.
“A huge amount of gratitude for all the staff, the NHS teams that have kept him alive, and grateful that he was still alive as many other people have lost their life.
“And this year, of course, he’s home so we are spending Christmas together, and that is the biggest gift.
“It’s kind of hard to get your head around really. But we have still got fears. Still got a long, long way to go. And still hugely grateful for everyone that kept him alive and saved his life thus far.”
Kate also praised care staff who had come to the family home.
"This year since he’s been home, people in the community – friends, incredible family all around – have been amazing," she said.
“The teams that have come out to help, the nurses, the therapists, and most extraordinary, the carers have been phenomenal. It’s just amazing.
“People working in care homes are making it possible for people to be able to have some kind of Christmas.
“But actually carers that are going out into the home are making it possible for a lot of people to have Christmas and without them we wouldn’t be able to be together.
“I’ve always thought the whole world of caring, local authority and the agencies are amazing. But I’ve got a whole new thing. So thank you very much to everybody.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am.
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