Kate Garraway has spoken out about how her own health was impacted by being her late husband’s carer.
In January of last year, the Good Morning Britain presenter announced the death of her husband Derek Draper. The political lobbyist had been in a serious health battle for four years, after being diagnosed with long Covid in 2020.
Now, as she continues to campaign for more support for primary carers, Kate has chosen to reflect on how her own health worsened during her years of caring for Derek.
In an interview with The Sun, the 58-year-old confessed that her health has “worsened significantly” as a result of being Derek’s primary carer.
"The stress of fighting for Derek to get the support he needed along with the physical demands of being a primary carer 24 hours a day was such a strain that my body was feeling the effect,” Kate explained.
"And there were other signs too. Missed appointments. No time to rest. My autoimmune thyroid condition — neglected during Derek’s illness — has now worsened significantly. Surgery now looks likely. It could have been avoided,” she admitted.
Describing how the situation did not feel “safe” for her family, Kate went on to recall one incident where she tried getting in contact with health services, after three weeks of no support.
"In the end, the person on the other end of the phone, who was also clearly exhausted, told me, ‘There is nothing I can do but — and this isn’t official — you are not alone and what I always say to people is take him to A&E and leave him there, then they legally have to do something,’” she detailed.
"I didn’t take him, I just couldn’t, physically or morally," Kate went on to clarify.
Noting that there are other families in worse situations, the TV star later pleaded: "Carers are the backbone of this country — but are being broken under the weight."
