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Kate Garraway reveals Derek’s heartbreaking words when they thought he had just minutes left to live

Kate Garraway reveals Derek’s heartbreaking words when they thought he only had minutes to live

  • Kate’s husband, Derek Draper, became unwell with Long Covid in 2020
  • In the summer of last year, Derek developed sepsis and was again rushed to the hospital
  • The ITV presenter described the experience as ‘terrifying’

Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway revealed the desperate words of her Covid-stricken husband Derek Draper as he endured a deadly battle with sepsis.

Kate, who has been taking care of Derek since 2020 when he was first fell ill with Covid at the start of the pandemic, revealed at the time to be minutes from death.

In the summer of 2022, Derek was rushed to hospital after being diagnosed with sepsis, where the serious condition nearly killed him.

Recalling the traumatic day, the 55-year-old told ITV The sun: ‘At one point Derek said to me, “This is it, this time. I’m out.” It was just terrifying.

“His sepsis was heartbreaking for all of us because it went undiagnosed to the point where it was about to take his life again.”

Recalling the traumatic day, Kate told The Sun:

Kate Garraway revealed the terrifying time last summer when her husband, Derek Draper, fell ill with sepsis, which nearly killed him

While Derek spent most of the hospital last year, he will be cared for at home for the first few months of this year.

The Smooth Radio presenter has had to spend ‘tens of thousands of pounds’ adapting the family home in London for Derek, including the installation of ramps, a downstairs wet room and a makeshift downstairs bedroom.

Speaking about his current condition and caring for him, Kate said: “Poor Derek’s condition currently spans about 11 specialties of medical care, so coordinating and keeping track of all the different departments sometimes feels like a full-time job in itself.

“Fortunately, Derek is extraordinary and his spirit is extraordinary, and it keeps us all going.

“Every day is emotional – but Derek is with us and still fighting.”

Derek’s home care process has been entirely self-funded and Kate insists they have not had ‘special treatment’ from the NHS or ‘bypassed waiting lists’ due to her celebrity status.

She said, “Of course it’s been tough financially. As anyone with a loved one who is seriously ill knows, costs are spiraling out of control in so many ways.

‘You have to change something about your house and that affects your ability to work. I had to take long periods off when Derek was first sick, which of course affects the family’s overall income as he can no longer work.’

Derek has been unwell with COVID since 2020 and Jake took care of him when he first came out of the hospital.  Pictured: Derek with his caretaker Jake

Derek has been unwell with COVID since 2020 and Jake took care of him when he first came out of the hospital. Pictured: Derek with his caretaker Jake

She noted that despite Derek’s insistence that they continue, she says it is “unbearable” to see him in pain, admitting that it makes her “emotional” just talking about it.

In March 2020, Derek was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, where he was put on a ventilator and put into an induced coma.

Due to lockdown rules during the pandemic, Kate and the couple’s two children, Darcey, 16, and Billy, 13, were unable to visit him as he was undergoing treatment.

13 months later, Derek was finally allowed to go home.

After the long hospitalization, however, his body was ravaged by various crippling conditions and he is now confined to a bed and wheelchair.

While Derek’s chances of long-term recovery are still unknown, there’s no denying the “utter devastation” of his body.