Kate Garraway’s heartache as she calls husband Derek every night in intensive care but has ‘no idea’ if he can hear her

KATE Garraway has been calling husband Derek Draper in intensive care every evening but has "no idea" if he's responding.

Derek, 52, has been battling coronavirus in hospital since March and Kate's Good Morning Britain co-star Ben Shephard gave viewers an insight into her heartache today.

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During a video-link interview with a school teacher who has beaten the deadly disease and the NHS nurses that saved her life, Ben said of Kate: "Staff are taking a phone in the evenings and she can talk to her husband.

"She has no idea if he is responding, but she hopes that he is.

"It's a source of comfort."

Yesterday, Kate, 53, opened up about spending her first birthday without her husband by her side in 16 years on Monday.

The 53-year-old presenter said that Derek believes in the "healing power of silliness" as she shared a photo of him kissing a duck during his university days.

She added: "So yesterday was always going to be a tough one - 1st birthday in 16 years without Derek - so for the kids & I, his absence was very present.

"But we resolved to do what I think we are all having to do at the moment aren’t we - treasure & be grateful for the love around us - however distanced we are from it.

"To my amazing family, to Derek’s friends who sent me messages of fun times they have had with him (pictured is when Derek was editing a student newspaper - insert your own 'his taste in birds' joke here!)"

Good Morning Britain revealed on Friday that .

Kate admitted that she is understandably worried about his health, telling fans: "You may have seen over the last few weeks that my husband Derek has been seriously ill in hospital with Covid-19.

"I am afraid that he remains in a deeply critical condition and is very ill, but he's still alive so there is hope.

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"It remains an extremely worrying time for us all and the last couple of weeks have been the hardest of my life.";

Derek was taken to hospital on 30 March, where he tested positive for coronavirus - which has so far claimed the lives of over 29,000 people across the UK.

Kate was said to be "sick with worry" at the time, and she is being supported by close friends and family.

Kate and Derek married in 2005 and share two children together, 14-year-old Darcey, and 11-year-old William.