Kate Garraway has said she hopes her husband Derek Draper will be well enough to go with her to get her MBE.
The Good Morning Britain star’s hubby was seriously ill and spent more than a year in hospital after catching coronavirus early in 2020.
He returned to the home he shares with Kate and their two children in April 2021 but now needs round-the-clock care.
At the end of last year it was announced that Kate, 55, would be presented with an MBE in recognition for her services to broadcasting, journalism and charity.
Kate says it will be ‘wonderful’ if Derek can join her
This week she told Good Housekeeping she hasn’t received it yet, joking: “I don’t want to tempt fate in case they retract the offer!”
She went on: “I do feel there’s room for celebration, though, and my hope is that if we do eventually have a ceremony, Derek will be further along in his recovery and we can go together.”
She said that would be “wonderful”.
The TV star has shared her journey with her fans, updating them on Good Morning Britain and social media throughout Derek’s illness.
And she has also documented her husband’s progress in two moving documentaries – Finding Derek and Caring For Derek.
She told Good Housekeeping that the couple are still learning how they are as man and wife in their new normal.
Derek’s battle with COVID and his long hospital stay has also had an impact on their daughter Darcey, 16, and son Billy, 12.
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“They’re having to relearn the experience of being with their dad,” Kate said.
She added that the “biggest learning” is for Derek.
How long have Kate and Derek been together?
Kate Garraway and husband Derek, a former lobbyist, first met in 2004 after they were introduced by a mutual friend.
They started dating and soon fell for each other, and tied the knot in 2005.
The couple welcomed Darcey the following year and Billy was born in 2009.
Garraway’s Good Stuff is on at 8.30am on ITV on Saturday.
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