Kate Garraway has revealed she still wakes up in the middle of the night from fear that she has forgotten to give medication to her late husband Derek Draper.
The Good Morning Britain presenter, 58, became a carer for Draper after he grew seriously ill from Covid and suffered major health complications in the years following.
Garraway married the psychotherapist and former Labour party lobbyist in 2005. He died in January 2024, aged 56, leaving behind daughter Darcey, 18, and son Billy, 15.
Writing in The Sun, Garraway described caring for Draper as “one of the greatest honours” of her life and admitted she wishes she was “still doing it today” despite the pressures it placed on her.
“Being a carer, its joys and its responsibilities, stays with you even after you have lost the person,” she explained.
“I still wake up in the middle of the night panicking that I haven’t given him his medicine, or that I have forgotten to move him every hour to prevent the painful contractions in his limbs.
“The next second I realise he no longer needs that care. There is a moment of relief – that I did not let him down – before a tsunami of sadness hits.”
After spending nearly 100 days in a coma in 2020, Draper remained in need of constant care for the rest of his life, from professionals and from Garraway.
However, Draper was not eligible for funding, prompting the broadcaster to use her own money to ensure her husband had the help he needed.
Garraway incurred “unpayable” debts of between £500,000 to £800,000, throughout Draper’s illness. She was also taken to hospital in 2023 after experiencing “excruciating” chest pains, having suffered extreme illness while her husband was recovering.
She said: “Caring takes over your whole life. You don’t begrudge it, but you suffer because of it.”
