Kate Garraway has taken her kids away to Disneyland Paris, which is their first family holiday since her husband Derek Draper fell seriously ill.

The Good Morning Britain star has cared for Derek, both 55, ever since he became unwell with Long Covid in 2020 after becoming gravely ill with the virus at the onset of the pandemic. 

Derek fought for his life after contracting the virus in March 2020. He was rushed to hospital in an ambulance where he was placed on a ventilator and in an induced coma. 

Kate revealed it was the family’s goal to go back to the amusement park with Derek, after last visiting before he became unwell, but on the morning of the trip they learned he couldn’t come. 

Speaking to Giovanna Fletcher on the Journey to the Magic podcast, she said: ‘But we went back there with the kids and I was lucky enough to go with my best friend Vicky and it was just an amazing thing, so it’s a special place.’

Holiday: Kate Garraway has taken her kids away to Disneyland Paris, which is their first family holiday since her husband Derek Draper fell seriously ill (pictured in 2012)

Holiday: Kate Garraway has taken her kids away to Disneyland Paris, which is their first family holiday since her husband Derek Draper fell seriously ill (pictured in 2012)

Gutting: Kate revealed it was the family’s goal to go back to the amusement park with Derek, but on the morning of the trip they learned he couldn't come

Gutting: Kate revealed it was the family’s goal to go back to the amusement park with Derek, but on the morning of the trip they learned he couldn’t come

Kate added: ‘I remember as we headed back to get on the train under the tunnel we went into a pharmacy to get some paracetamol or something and everywhere in French it said ‘no masks all sold out’.

‘I remember Derek and I saying to each other, ‘god they’re taking it really seriously over here’ and then we came back and it was literally about two or three weeks later Derek got sick and so it was the last thing we did together.’

Kate then touched on Derek’s health struggles: ‘He’s still very, very damaged. He still can’t really move, still can’t really speak, still fed through tubes, and so there’s a long road ahead. 

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

As a result of lockdown rules during the pandemic, Kate and the couple’s two children Darcey, 16, and Billy, 13, were unable to visit him as he received treatment.

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

However, following the long period of hospitalisation, his body was ravaged with various crippling conditions and he now remains confined to a bed and wheelchair.

While Derek’s long-term chance of recovery is still not known, the ‘utter devastation’ to his body is undeniable.

Kate recently revealed she will take her husband Derek Draper to Mexico for a second bout of experimental treatment in a desperate bid to save him from the devastating effects of Covid. 

Following a previously ‘gruelling’ trip to Mexico at the beginning of 2022, Kate hopes to fly Derek back for an additional round of treatment.

Speaking to Giovanna Fletcher on the Journey to the Magic podcast, she said: 'But we went back there with the kids and I was lucky enough to go with my best friend Vicky and it was just an amazing thing, so it's a special place.'

Speaking to Giovanna Fletcher on the Journey to the Magic podcast, she said: ‘But we went back there with the kids and I was lucky enough to go with my best friend Vicky and it was just an amazing thing, so it’s a special place.’

Throwback: Kate has now visited Disneyland Paris with her son Billy and daughter Darcy after the family last went weeks before Derek became seriously unwell

Throwback: Kate has now visited Disneyland Paris with her son Billy and daughter Darcy after the family last went weeks before Derek became seriously unwell

Kate told The Sun : ‘The effort required to get him there is extraordinary, and obviously we are relying on the grace of these specialists to help him.

‘I can’t thank all those involved in getting him to Mexico enough because without them he wouldn’t have the chance of this potentially life-changing treatment.’

She added: ‘The plan is to go back for another round of treatment and continue the trial in a way that is financially viable.’

He became the longest-suffering coronavirus patient in the UK after spending 13 months in hospital, apart from Kate and their two children – Darcey, 16 and Billy, 13.

Although Kate insisted that they’d had ‘wonderful treatment’ from the NHS, which were essential in keeping her husband alive, the foreign trips offer ‘potentially life saving treatment’.

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

Due to the severity of his illness and length of time spent in hospital he remains unable to walk and has developed debilitating symptoms.

In summer last year Derek developed sepsis and was again rushed to hospital, where the severe condition nearly killed him.

Speaking about his current condition and caring for him, she told The Sun : ‘There are some days where he literally cannot do anything and it’s like the computer is switched off. He cannot move, and he’s in so much pain as we are manipulating him, trying to get him more mobile so that he doesn’t regress.’

The presenter noted that despite Derek’s insistence that they carry on, she says it’s ‘unbearable’ to see him in pain, admitting it makes her ’emotional’ just speaking about it.

However, she added: ‘It also makes me fall in love with him all over again because of that spirit, that determination to keep going. Derek is trapped, but he fights on. We cling on to the good days.’

Reflecting on the ups and downs of caring for her husband, Kate remarked that every day is a ‘roller coaster’ as Derek’s spirit ‘fluctuates’.

Battle: The Good Morning Britain star has cared for Derek, both 55, ever since he became unwell with Long Covid in 2020 after becoming gravely ill with the virus at the onset of the pandemic

Battle: The Good Morning Britain star has cared for Derek, both 55, ever since he became unwell with Long Covid in 2020 after becoming gravely ill with the virus at the onset of the pandemic

Awful: Derek became the longest-suffering coronavirus patient in the UK after spending 13 months in hospital, apart from Kate and their two children - Darcey, 16 and Billy, 13 (pictured together)

Awful: Derek became the longest-suffering coronavirus patient in the UK after spending 13 months in hospital, apart from Kate and their two children – Darcey, 16 and Billy, 13 (pictured together)

The journalist added that it is ‘heart-breaking’ to watch her husband of 18 years unable to move with tears streaming down his face, noting that as ‘hard’ as it is for them, she ‘cannot imagine’ how tough it is for Derek.

Meanwhile, Kate opened up on the astronomical costs of Derek’s care, adding that it’s self-funded and insisting that they’ve not had any ‘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, the costs go through the roof in so many ways. You have to make changes to your home and it affects your ability to work. I had to take long periods off when Derek was first sick, and of course if affects the overall income for the family as he can no longer work.’

She went on to say that she’s had to close down the business that she and Derek had together, while having to take on assistants to care for Derek while she’s doing her TV work.



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