Kate Garraway reveals financial struggle since husband Derek Draper has been hospitalised with coronavirus

Kate Garrway has opened up on the financial consequences of her husband Derek Draper’s coronavirus battle and admits things have been tough since he was hospitalised last March.

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 53, has given a candid interview to The Times discussing what life has been like over the last year with Derek still in hospital and his condition regressing over the last lockdown.

Kate shared her worries that Derek may not have ‘any kind of life again’, as his body tries to recover from Covid-19 and overcome a number of complications including infections, kidney failure and damage to his liver and pancreas.

Revealing what it’s been like at home without him, Kate admits that things have been difficult financially, telling the publication: ‘Working in television, everybody does get paid a good wage compared with the nurses who are keeping Derek alive. But that obviously stopped quite suddenly last March.’

She had taken time off to care for her family and Derek and returned to Good Morning Britain last summer.

When Derek’s company office lease was up for renewal, Kate chose to keep it going in the hope that he will finally return to work, but admits right now it’s ‘burning money’.

Kate explained that she is also facing legal difficulties that have stopped her from accessing Derek’s bank or credit car accounts, the couple’s joint savings account and she hasn’t been able to refinance their mortgage due to Derek being the account holder and her not having power of attorney.

Appointing each other as power of attorney was a conversation Kate and Derek had previously had, with Kate admitting: ‘We had a whole conversation and Derek said we have to appoint power of attorney in case anything happens.

‘He said I’d be his. And I’m sure I made some kind of joke, saying, “Well, you’re not being mine.” And we were laughing and having all these sorts of jokes.’

She said: ‘So I know we’ve had that conversation. But it isn’t logged anywhere. Or if it is, I can’t find it.’

Kate now needs deputy power of attorneyship to be able to control their affairs and that depends on whether Derek’s condition can be constituted as a coma.

‘Is he in a position to make a decision or not? Before Christmas, I felt like he did understand. But now I feel like he’s slipped back and I don’t really know what he believes, or feels,’ Kate explained.

She continued: ‘I haven’t really got my head round the legal situation. I’ve been in a continual survival mode. Just thinking, “Let’s get through today, let’s check the children are sane and fed and happy, let’s see what the latest is with Derek…” I have tried to sort of wake up from that and think about the future, but nobody can tell you what the future is.’

Derek was first hospitalised in March 2020 and was placed into a medically-induced coma. While he is now coronavirus free, his body is battling multiple complications because of the virus and Kate was warned multiple times that Derek may not make it.

At one point, she was even left waiting for 24 hours after mistakenly being told Derek might have died.

At the end of last year, Derek’s condition had improved and he was able to breathe naturally, he was off kidney dialysis and was able to to recognise people he knew and have brief conversations.

Throughout Derek’s hospitalisation Kate has been working on an ITV documentary to share her family’s experience. She has also penned a book The Power of Hope that is set for release in April.

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