'IT'S UNBEARABLE'
GMB’s Kate Garraway reveals husband Derek’s body is still ‘ravaged’ by Covid in ‘grinding horror of unfairness’
GOOD Morning Britain's Kate Garraway has admitted she's been "feeling low since Christmas" as husband Derek Draper's body is "still ravaged by coronavirus".
The 53-year-old star spoke out on the "grinding horror of unfairness" as she discussed her upcoming book on Derek's battle with co-hosts Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan today.
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The mother-of-two credited Piers with inspiring her to write the book after he advised her to keep a diary early on.
Derek was rushed to hospital in March 2020 with coronavirus, and remains seriously ill in intensive care.
Reflecting on her decision to put pen to paper, Kate shared: "It's been a strange time, I've been a bit low since Christmas - physically low, I felt physically at the end of my tether and had to regroup a bit.
"This week, a friend of mine's mother-in-law, who is 51 - younger than me - died from Covid. She got it at Christmas, it went down very quickly and she died, I just thought I can't believe that here we are so far on.
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"Derek's still ravaged from the effects of Covid from way back in March, his recovery is incredibly uncertain.
"I'm trying to look for new things and new ways and talking to doctors about what we can do for him meanwhile people are still dying in extraordinary numbers - people that aren't older and haven't got underlying conditions, it's unbearable."
She added: "You and Susanna say: 'You're just an inspiration to keep going', and I thought if I could tell my story and some of the people that have helped me then maybe that will be helpful for people."
Susanna interrupted: "What I think is so inspiring is that we know the hell that you are going through but you still turn up all of the time, you're always just you.
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"You've still got a smile, it's a joy to interact with you and a lot of people think: 'How can she maintain that?' And that's one of the things I'd like to know from you - when you're in your lowest, darkest place how can you still look to the light?"
Kate went on to admit that she has only written "about a third" of the book and it has been "really emotional" to write - also revealing the poignant words Piers told her almost a year ago when Derek was first hospitalised.
Her co-star had in fact referenced a cartoon comic that now-President Joe Biden told him about after losing his son; an animation of someone asking God: "Why me?", and God replying: "Why not?"
Kate added that she also sees that comic as inspirational, explaining: "It works to inspire you with confidence, what was so powerful about taking that message on board is you don't waste energy on the unfairness of the world, you pour it into trying to solve it.
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"I then started saying, when they told me that Derek's chances of survival were next to nothing and will probably die… But some people were surviving it, and I thought: 'Well, why not? Why can't Derek survive?' and 'Why not Derek now be the one who bucks his damage and recovers?'
"You can start to flip it to shift away the unfairness and try and take it as a positive, and think why not me be the one who comes through this?
"I think it just takes away that grinding horror of unfairness in all situations."
Kate returned to social media last night to announce her book The Power of Hope to her fans, writing: "The pandemic is far from over and so is Derek’s journey but I have decided to share our story and what's helping to keep me going, as we all try to work out what our new futures will look like."
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Kate recently revealed she was finally able to take her and Derek's two children, Darcey and Billy, to see their seriously ill dad in hospital for the first time at Christmas.
But after England was plunged into a new six-week lockdown earlier this month, all visits to see loved ones have been immediately halted.
Speaking on GMB, Kate previously said: "Instantly, I'm now I'm in a position where even I can't visit. I've not been able to see him.
"We're back into lockdown and no visits at all, which I hope doesn't continue for the whole of lockdown, as I think that will be very impactful."
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Kate Garraway reveals her kids saw sick husband Derek for the first time since March over Christmas
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Derek remains in intensive care and is now the country’s longest-fighting Covid-19 patient.
He has lost eight stone and Kate admitted her sadness at the children seeing how much he has changed.
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She said: "I knew it was going to be tough. There was a lovely moment which we did have over the period, we got to see Derek and the children did, which was the first time they were able to do that.
"And of course it was very heightened with emotion because he has so changed. It kind of amplified how very sad it was and how different it is."
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