Ben Shephard says ‘there will be a crash’ as he pays tribute to ‘brilliant’ Kate Garraway in Derek Draper’s Covid fight
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GOOD Morning Britain's Ben Shephard paid tribute to his co-host Kate Garraway during husband Derek Draper's Covid battle.
A new documentary, Kate Garraway: Finding Derek, has offered an intimate insight into Kate's experience, and that of her husband Derek Draper.
🔵 Read our Kate Garraway and Derek Draper live blog for news and updates ahead of Finding Derek on ITV tonight...
In one scene, Kate returns to GMB hosting duties after taking five months off to look after her family as Derek became the longest surviving Covid-19 inpatient in the UK.
Ben drops by her dressing room as Kate gets ready and recalls the moment he found out Derek first had coronavirus.
"I remember speaking to you and Derek had just gone to hospital ," he tells her.
Ben reveals Kate was the first person he knew that had someone in their life who had caught Covid.
Kate replies: "And I remember you saying then, 'he'll be fine'."
Her co-host says "it's extraordinary" that Derek was still in hospital many months later and how they had misunderstood how serious the virus could be.
"The reality is you can survive and still be dealing with Covid, months and months later," Ben says.
"For a lifetime maybe, you could never recover."
Ben later speaks to the camera and describes his 20-year working relationship with Kate.
"We have been through everything together," he explains.
"Kate is brilliant at sharing what she's going through... if her voice can be used to represent some of those families who can't be heard, hopefully that will make a huge difference down the line.
Ben adds: "It's testament to her strength of character, her brilliance, her positivity that she's got this far and managed it so well.
"I just keep thinking at some point there's going to be this huge crash, at some point we hopefully have a big move in Derek's recovery or Derek coming home and it's going to hit her, what she's been through."
It comes as:
Derek has beaten Covid, but he has been unable to gain consciousness from his induced coma and is still in intensive care a year after catching the virus.
He has been left with kidney failure, damage to his liver and pancreas and heart failure.
He also has holes in his lungs from bacterial pneumonia and is fighting off several infections.
Good Morning Britain host Kate opened up about her husband’s health battle saying: “Derek is the sickest person the team of doctors have treated this year.
“Is he going to be able to come back or will he be alive but no longer the person he was?"
The screen fades to black as a caption reads: "One year later, Derek is still in hospital."
The 53-year-old presenter said she aims to help other people who are suffering.
She said: “This virus has impacted every single one of us.
"By telling the story of Derek’s illness and how it has altered our lives, I hope to be able to reach out to others who are suffering.
“If writing about my experience of facing fear, coping day to day with an uncertain future and finding strength for the sake of my kids can in some way help another who is feeling lost or in despair, it will mean a lot.”
Kate Garraway: Finding Derek will be available to watch on after the show airs at 9pm.