Kate Garraway admitted on GMB today she is “ashamed” as she shared the shocking costs of her husband Derek Draper‘s care.
TV presenter Kate, 56, lost her late husband in January this year. He had endured a lengthy battle from the impact of Covid-19, first hospitalised with the virus in early 2020.
Appearing on the ITV breakfast show on Tuesday (March 26), Kate said she was “in debt”, indicating she struggled financially because she couldn’t “earn enough”.
Kate Garraway on costs of husband Derek Draper’s care
Ahead of new documentary Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story airing on ITV tonight, an emotional Kate suggested the £16,000 monthly expense for looking after Derek was more than her salary could support.
“I am ashamed of the fact that I am in debt,” she said.
Kate went on to explain: “I have an incredible job that I love, that’s very well paid.
I just feel ashamed that I couldn’t make it work.
“I’m not a carer, travelling miles, paying their own transport to go and help somebody for minimum wage. I’m somebody who is very well paid and so I just feel ashamed that I couldn’t make it work.”
Fighting back tears, she went on to say: “It’s difficult because I try to remove my personal grief because I think [raising awareness of care system] is a really important thing that we have to tackle.”
Kate Garraway salary
Kate will also address the issue in the documentary.
At one point she reveals: “Derek’s care costs more than my salary from ITV and that is before you pay for a mortgage, before you pay for any household bills. Before you pay for anything for the kids. So we are at a crunch point.”
Kate continues: “I am in debt. I can’t earn enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek’s care. And I can’t even use the money I do have to support Derek’s recovery because it’s going on the basics all the time.”
And reflecting on how assumptions may be made about her financial situation, because she works on TV, Kate adds: “I’m not going to pretend that I am poorly paid, I have an incredible job that I love, which is well-paid. But it’s not enough.”
‘That is basic care.’@KateGarraway say it cost £16,000 a month to care for her husband Derek Draper and caused her to rack up huge debts. pic.twitter.com/k9WiQSpxW3
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 26, 2024
Kate Garraway new documentary
Kate also expresses deep concerns for the care system ‘breaking’ under the strain.
“Time and time again the system tell us that Derek isn’t sick enough, doesn’t have enough of a health need to qualify for funded care,” she says in the programme.
Kate continues: “I’ve appealed but that still hasn’t been processed two-and-a-half, three years later. If this is what it’s like for me, what on Earth is it like for everybody else? Something has to be done. Or the whole service, the people working in it, everything is going to break.”
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Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story airs tonight, Tuesday March 26, at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX and STV.
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