Kate Garraway updates on Derek Draper’s health in ‘lonely’ speech battle

Derek Draper has suffered from numerous health problems since first contracting Covid-19 in early 2020. Wife Kate Garraway has shared how sometimes a partner’s struggle to communicate can be creating ‘loneliness’ in their relationship.

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Kate Garraway updates on husband Derek’s condition

Kate Garraway has revealed that husband Derek Draper is having difficulty communicating as he continues to recover from Covid-19.

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 54, was talking to The Bill star Chris Ellison about his own health battle as she entered school.

The actor, who plays DCI Frank Burnside on the ITV police series, is suffering from aphasia – a speech impairment similar to Bruce Willis’s that was recently revealed to be living with.

Aphasia is a neurological disorder caused by damage to the parts of the brain responsible for producing or processing language.

Chris was diagnosed with the condition after suffering a massive stroke nearly two years ago.

Speaking with the actor and his wife Anita, the mother of two Kate shared that husband Derek often finds it difficult to communicate, following his constant battle to recover from a serious case of Covid-19 .

The former lobbyist fell victim to an infectious disease in early 2020, and became seriously ill and was hospitalized for more than a year.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, Kate explained to her guests: “In a sense, Derek – because of Covid – has a version of this that he can understand, sometimes making words that are odd but inexpressible.

“It’s interesting when you tell Anita about the loneliness of that because you’ve lost that relationship and the ability for others to see your partner.”

Derek returned home from the hospital in April 2021 but still needs care and support, as he struggles to return to full health after his first viral illness.

Kate – who won a National Television Award for her documentary ‘Finding Derek’ – last year explained how her husband of 16 years can speak in very rare circumstances.

Speaking to Kate on his final episode of hosting Life Stories, Piers Morgan told his former ITV colleague: “When I called you about this interview, without warning me, you were said, ‘Why don’t you talk to Derek?’

“Derek responds when you say it’s me, a loud, clear ‘Hello’, and I say a few things to him and at the end he says, ‘Thanks.’ I was flabbergasted.”

Kate emotionally replied, “We all did. The caregivers who were there with me at the time burst into tears. I don’t want to suggest you’re a Piers healer but it’s remarkable. “

She added: “It’s moments like that that make you realize he’s there – and we’ve had others.

“He would turn to me and say, ‘I love you.’ He was there, he fought so hard to stay in this world and I never gave up on him.”

After winning the NTA in September 2021, Kate opened up about the realities of caregiving and the state of social care in the UK.

“There are a lot of challenges we’re facing. Right now I’m going through being a carer and the challenges are there,” the announcer told reporters after winning the Feature Film award. whether the best.

She continued: “We all know that social care has made headlines for many reasons and for many reasons that people need support with health and social care.

She added: “There are definitely more stories to tell. Let’s hope that Derek’s voice delivers on those. We know he’s in there. We just need to get him out. .”