LOVE AT ALL COST
Kate Garraway’s crippling financial battle over Derek’s care which ate up GMB salary… & the celeb pals who’ve stepped up
The mum-of-two also owed debts of over £700,000 incurred by her husband's psychotherapeutic company
KATE Garraway's unfaltering love and care for her late husband has touched millions of hearts across Britain over the years.
But behind her courageous efforts to provide round-the-clock support for Derek Draper was a tide of crippling bills costing more than £16,000 a month.
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For three years, Derek - who was put in a coma for 98 days after contracting Covid-19 in 2020 - battled a number of ongoing, life-threatening conditions before dying aged 56 in January.
During that time, he became so ill that Kate was forced to convert their £4million north London home into a virtual field hospital.
Unable to receive public health funding, the Good Morning Britain star was shelling out herself for expensive treatments, including a hyperbaric oxygen tent she hoped might restore her husband's severely damaged lung function.
But the costs soon began to pile up for courageous Kate, who is believed to earn around £544,000 a year from her work with ITV.
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Now, the mum-of-two is laying her financial troubles bare in the documentary, Kate Garraway: Derek's Story, which exposes how families caring for seriously ill loved ones at home are routinely left underfunded.
The tear-jerking show, which airs tonight, follows Derek's final year and reveals that his basic care had cost a minimum of £576,000 since 2020.
Kate - who is mum to Darcey, aged 17, and Billy, aged 11 - admits on the show: "How can anybody afford £16,000 a month?
"Derek's care costs more than my salary. And that's before you pay for a mortgage, before you pay for any household bills, before you pay for anything for the kids.
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"I am in debt and I can't earn enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek's care.
"I can't even use the money I do have to support Derek's recovery because it's going on the basics all the time."
Wave of care bills
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Derek was hospitalised after contracting Covid in March 2020 and suffering numerous health complications.
But despite needing round-the-clock care, he was not eligible for funding, which left Kate to incur debts to ensure he had the help he needed.
In an interview with this week, she estimates the care debt to be between £500,000 and £800,000 - costing around £4,000 per week.
During one "crunch point" the broadcaster was forced to care for Derek alone for ten days without sleep.
Kate said one of the hardest moments came when the doctors were unwilling to discharge her husband until it was proved he had adequate care provision at home.
The bureaucratic tussle would drag on for a month before he was released and then assessors would come to their home for a "tick-box" exercise.
She said: "It’s supposed to be a system that’s meant to catch you if you fall.
"But actually, it feels like it’s trying to catch you out. You feel like you’re in the dock answering questions about things that will literally mean life or death to someone you love.
"Derek’s needs were clearly so great, yet he didn’t warrant funded care — so you think, 'If he isn’t getting it, then who is?'"
Derek's desperation
Speaking to Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain today, an emotional Kate revealed how Derek was frustrated by his restricted way of life.
She said it was "horrific" listening to his shrieks of anger and wishes he would have "stopped" and been at peace for the remainder of his life.
"He wanted to continue and he had to fight on and progress because that was his purpose," she explained.
"He felt like a total failure and an incredible burden on the carers, the system, us.
"It didn't matter what we said, he felt that burden.
"He wanted to be a contributor and, I guess, making this documentary was his way of saying: 'I'm going to speak up for the people that supported me'.
"The family, but also those around me and people within the care system - administrators who tried to make things work.
"Because the system is broken, there's no doubt about that."
On several occasions temporary funding for Derek was revoked.
And in a devastating ruling in August last year, the family was told they would have to pay back every penny that they did receive.
To make matters worse, Kate also owed debts of over £700,000 incurred by Derek's psychotherapeutic company, Astra Aspera.
Her partner had set up the business in 2011 and reportedly enjoyed a £1million payday just a year before being hit by Covid.
But with Derek sidelined, Kate had no legal authority over his business, and its running costs continued while he was sick.
A friend of the family told : "It's terribly sad, but Derek can't work and has no prospect of being able to do so in the near future, so Kate thought it best to close it down."
Heartbreaking decisions
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Kate and Derek's north London home was redesigned to help the former political lobbyist and has had many modifications, including a lift, a wet room and an adaptable ground-floor.
But earlier this year, it was reported that she was "facing up to the fact" she may need to sell the £4million property after being "wiped out financially".
One friend told the : "It has cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to look after Derek and do everything she could to get him better but it's left her struggling.
"The house is about all she has left financially and she is now facing up to the fact it might have to be sold.
"It's where she and Derek were so happy and also where her two children grew up – but bills are bills and they have to be paid.
"It's dreadful for Kate."
Celeb pals' incredible gestures
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As Kate has battled to pay the bills, one source of comfort has been her loyal army of celeb pals, who have stepped up to help in all manner of ways.
Presenter Emma Willis, who shares an agent with the star, sent a luxury hamper to their family during a dire situation at Christmas.
Kate recalled: "We had this extraordinary situation where we didn’t have any bread but we had canapes.
"The kids would ask, “what’s for breakfast? “Canapes” “can’t we have Rice Krispies?” “No – we don’t have any. But you can have truffles!"
The family home would also undergo a few domestic emergencies – including flooding and the heating breaking.
Remarkably, close pal Robert Rinder was on hand to step in and even help with the plumbing.
Kate posted on Instagram: "Also Judge Rinder for when I woke up this morning to find had NO WATER, not even a toilet flushing, instantly scrambled into plumbing action."
Talk show host Jeremy Kyle kindly offered up his driver to take their children, Darcy and Billy, to their grandparents' home when Derek needed to self-isolate.
Myles Stephenson, who entered the I'm a Celeb jungle with Kate in 2019, also admitted he had been there for the family.
Myles said: "Kate knows I am there for her at the drop of a dime – for her and the kids – anything she needs.
"She has taken me up on the offer a few times but I don’t really want to say what she’s asked of."
Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke also reportedly played a pivotal role in getting Derek to "his first big trip out" since his illness.
Kate added: "Big thank you to Anto Du Beke. In fact, he came on Good Morning Britain to chat about being in Panto and I said: 'Is it crazy to think I could bring Derek to panto'.
"This was months before Christmas and he helped me organise it which took a lot of organising. Thank you to the theatre as well."
Incredible career
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While Kate's care bills have outgrown her earnings in recent years, the star - who has an estimated net worth of £1.5million - can reflect with pride on an astonishingly successful career.
She has fronted ITV’s flagship breakfast show Good Morning Britain for nearly a decade and even popped up in hit movies like The Lego Ninjago Movie and Sharknado 5.
Kate reportedly took home £75,000 for appearing on I’m a Celeb in 2019, while she also appeared in the fifth series of Strictly. In 2021, she took over the celeb interview show Life Stories from Piers Morgan, which has since run for two series.
Away from the camera, she has a slot on Smooth Radio and has proved a talented author, too.
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She released her first book in 2017, titled The Joy of Big Knickers (or learning to love the rest of your life).
And in 2021, she published The Power of Hope - which debuted in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 22,394 copies in its first week on sale.
NHS continuing healthcare funding
What is it?
Some people with long-term complex health needs qualify for free social care arranged and funded solely by the NHS.
NHS continuing healthcare can be provided in a variety of settings outside hospital, such as in your own home or in a care home.
NHS continuing healthcare is for adults only.
Children and young people may receive a “continuing care package” if they have needs arising from disability, accident or illness that cannot be met by existing universal or specialist services alone.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible for NHS continuing healthcare, you must be assessed by a team of healthcare professionals.
It can be completed by a nurse, doctor, other healthcare professionals or a social worker.
The team will assess your level of care by what help you need, how complex your needs are, how intense your needs are and how unpredictable they are.
Your eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare will depend on your assessed needs, and not on any particular diagnosis or condition.
If your needs change, your eligibility may change.
A decision about your eligibility for a full assessment should be made within 28 days of an initial request.
Is it free?
If you are eligible, NHS continuing healthcare is free, unlike support provided by local authorities, which may involve the individual making a financial contribution depending on income and savings.
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