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Kate Garraway reveals her 'one regret' after husband Derek Draper's death

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Kate also spoke about the financial cost of looking after Derek
Kate also spoke about the financial cost of looking after Derek

A TEARFUL Kate Garraway has revealed her "one regret" after husband Derek Draper's death.

The emotional moment aired last night in a heartbreaking documentary about Derek's battle as the nation's longest-suffering Covid patient.

Kate Garraway reads cards written to her following Derek's death eiqehiexikqprw
Kate Garraway reads cards written to her following Derek's death
The TV star revealed she regretted having to battle for Derek's care, rather than spending time with him
The TV star revealed she regretted having to battle for Derek's care, rather than spending time with him
Kate Garraway: Derek's Story revealed behind the scenes of Derek's final months
Kate Garraway: Derek's Story revealed behind the scenes of Derek's final months

Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story gave an inside look into the final few months of Derek's life.

The doc aired on Tuesday night on ITV, with Derek finally getting a chance to tell his story "in his voice".

It also looked at Kate's battle to juggle caring for her husband and the rest of her busy life.

Spectacular New Year fireworks light up London sky as huge crowds celebrate across UK for first time in three yearsSpectacular New Year fireworks light up London sky as huge crowds celebrate across UK for first time in three years

Derek died in January after catching Covid in March 2020 which had caused him to suffer devastating health problems.

In a candid moment following Derek's death, Kate reflected to the documentary crew about her time looking after Derek.

The producer asks: "Do you have any regrets?"

Kate replies: "I think if I had any regrets, it's every single minute that I didn't spend holding his hand because I had to go and write an email, go and make a phone call."

"[I regret] Having to fight to fight the system that should be there to catch you when you fall but feels like when you're going through it like it's there to catch you out.

"And that's what now I want to be Derek's legacy - to fight on for that change."

The documentary also covered other heartbreaking moments of Derek's final months.

Draper once labelled himself "pathetic" as he struggled to get out of his wheelchair, before bursting into tears.

At one point Derek is working with his mobility therapist Cornel, who's encouraging him to stand up out of the wheelchair he was bound to.

The dad can be seen working to try stand with the help of his walking frame.

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The mobility therapist says encouragingly: “One, two, three and push - I’m not helping you much.

“I don’t want to help you too much, I don’t want to pull you up off the seat.”

Derek required round-the-clock help from care workers, as well as therapists to help him with his movement and speech, as part of his recovery. 

He became one of the most severely affected Covid-19 patients back in 2020 when, after being put into a coma for 98 days, was left suffering from a number of ongoing, life-threatening conditions.

But despite his lengthy list of needs, the mum and her family were denied any Government funding, meaning the TV presenter had to hire in help at a large cost to the family. 

She told the cameras: “Derek's care costs more than my salary for my TV, and that's before you've paid for a mortgage, before you've paid for any household bills, before you've paid for kids - so, we are at a crunch point. 

“I am in debt and I can't earn enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek's care. 

“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. 

“I'm not going to pretend by the way that I am poorly paid, I have an incredible job that I love that is well paid, but it's not enough. 

Derek spent much of his time in bed trying to recover after he had been affected by the virus
Derek spent much of his time in bed trying to recover after he had been affected by the virus
Kate was praised for her first documentary - Caring For Derek
Kate was praised for her first documentary - Caring For DerekCredit: ITV

James Halpin

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