Entertainment
Kate Garraway says she and Derek Draper are learning how to be husband and wife again: ‘So much has changed’-Tori Brazier-Entertainment – Metro
‘When you nearly lose someone, it certainly brings everything into sharp focus.’
Kate has opened up on how Derek’s health battle has altered their marriage (Picture: David Venni/Good Housekeeping UK)
Broadcaster Kate Garraway has talked about how her relationship with her husband has changed since becoming his carer.
Derek Draper, a 54-year-old former political adviser, fell seriously ill after contracting Covid-19 in March 2020.
He is now free of the virus but has suffered long-lasting damage to his organs and requires care at home.
Speaking in a new interview, Garraway, 55, told how she has had to find new ways to form a closeness with her husband after ‘so much has changed’.
‘When you nearly lose someone, it certainly brings everything into sharp focus,’ she said. ‘In many ways, we’re still learning how we are as man and wife, as so much has changed.’
‘It’s the same for the children – they’re having to relearn the experience of being with their dad. And, of course, the biggest learning is for poor Derek,’ she told Good Housekeeping magazine.
The presenter has made two documentaries about her husband’s health challenges, alongside juggling her other presenting work and changing family life (Picture: David Venni/Good Housekeeping UK)
Derek and Kate, pictured here in 2009, have been married for 17 years (Picture: Jon Furniss/WireImage)
The Good Morning Britain presenter has taken part in two ITV documentaries following her family’s life after Draper’s illness.
Despite the difficulties, Garraway has remained positive and recently discovered she has been made an MBE in this year’s New Year’s Honours.
Referring to the news, which she called ‘amazing’, Kate joked that, as she hadn’t yet received the gong, she was conscious of not tempting fate ‘in case they retract the offer’.
‘I do feel there’s room for celebration, though, and my hope is that if we do eventually have a ceremony, Derek will be further along in his recovery and we can go together. That would be wonderful.’
Learning to adapt to her husband’s illness has also helped Garraway to learn to ‘live in the moment more than ever before’ and have a greater appreciation for life.
Kate is the cover star for Good Housekeeping’s August issue (Picture: David Venni/Good Housekeeping UK)
Rather than over-thinking after sending an email, she would rather now ‘look out the window and notice how pretty the sky is’.
She explained: ‘I really try to seize those moments because when you do, you realise that life is just a collection of moments – and finding more good ones than bad ones is probably the secret to it all.’
The 55-year-old is also hosting a new show on ITV, Garraway’s Good Stuff, which will see the broadcaster joined by friends and celebrities in a new uplifting lifestyle show.
She first gave an unflinching look into the difficulty her family and Derek have faced with his illness in her Caring For Derek documentary (Picture: ITV)
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Describing it as ‘wonderful to do’, she added: ‘There isn’t anybody who hasn’t been affected by the pandemic in some way, so I wanted to be part of a show that would make people feel good, where they could find ways to save money or take control of their health.
‘We have brilliant guests every week who share what brings joy into their life – what’s not to love about that?’
The full interview with Kate Garraway is available in the August issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale from June 29.
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