Kate Garraway credits stint on I’m A Celebrity with ‘getting her through’ Derek’s Covid battle

Kate Garraway has credited her stint on I’m A Celebrity with ‘preparing her to get through’ husband Derek Draper’s Covid battle.

The Good Morning Britain host, 53, has often spoken candidly about his ongoing fight and supporting their two children Darcey, 14 and William, 11, since he was  diagnosed with the potentially deadly virus in March last year.

In a new interview with Good Housekeeping magazine, Kate said: ‘Forcing myself to do frightening things in the jungle was definitely good for my soul, and it made me believe I could do things I never dreamed possible.

Prepared: Kate Garraway has credited her stint on I’m A Celebrity with ‘preparing her to get through’ husband Derek Draper’s Covid battle (pictured in Australia in 2019)

‘And flippin’ heck! I’ve had to put that knowledge into practice, haven’t I? So actually, maybe the jungle prepared me for getting through this.’

Kate also credited her time on the show in 2019 with helping her make some healthy changes, saying she now drinks lots of hot water, after not being allowed tea in the jungle, which makes ‘a big difference’ to how she feels.

She said: ‘The last thing Darcey, Billy or Derek is me getting sick. I’m not doing as much exercise as I’d like, but… strange as it sounds, I drink a lot of hot water.’

The mother-of-two appeared on I’m A Celebrity in 2019 alongside Myles Stephenson, Caitlyn Jenner and Jacqueline Jossa. She finished the show in fourth place.

Foundation: The Good Morning Britain presenter, 53, said 'facing her fears' on the show made her realise she could 'do things I never dreamed possible' (pictured with Derek in Australia after coming out of the jungle)

Foundation: The Good Morning Britain presenter, 53, said ‘facing her fears’ on the show made her realise she could ‘do things I never dreamed possible’ (pictured with Derek in Australia after coming out of the jungle) 

Derek was waiting for Kate as she came out of the jungle in December, mere months before his coronavirus battle started in March 2020. 

Elsewhere in her interview, Kate admitted she is struggling as a single parent and sometimes finds herself asking ‘what would Derek do?’ in a situation. 

She also detailed how doctors had told her Derek’s infection was the ‘highest they had seen in a patient who had lived’.

Giving an update on Derek’s condition, Kate said the family are in a better place now compared to when her husband was first diagnosed at the start of the pandemic.

It comes days after Kate was told Derek may ‘never come out of a coma’ amid his ongoing battle against coronavirus.

Family: Kate's husband and their two children - Darcey and William - all supported her during her time in the jungle, with her recently admitting she's now  struggling as a single parent (pictured at Heathrow after returning to the UK from Australia in 2019)

Family: Kate’s husband and their two children – Darcey and William – all supported her during her time in the jungle, with her recently admitting she’s now  struggling as a single parent (pictured at Heathrow after returning to the UK from Australia in 2019)

Speaking on GMB on Tuesday, her colleague Piers Morgan, 55, urged viewers to take the virus seriously and made the stark revelation the political advisor Derek remains in perilous condition. 

In his desperate message to viewers, Piers said: ‘We know from our colleague Kate Garraway, whose husband is still in a coma from Covid. He may never come out of that coma. She’s been told this, and it’s heartbreaking.’

He had previously revealed that Derek now has holes in his heart and lungs and has lost eight stone during his battle against the deadly virus. 

Last week, Kate gave a heartbreaking update on her husband’s ongoing battle with Covid-19, saying ‘his body has been ravaged’ by the virus.  

Simpler times: The mother-of-two appeared on I'm A Celebrity in 2019 alongside Myles Stephenson, Caitlyn Jenner and Jacqueline Jossa. She finished the show in fourth place

Simpler times: The mother-of-two appeared on I’m A Celebrity in 2019 alongside Myles Stephenson, Caitlyn Jenner and Jacqueline Jossa. She finished the show in fourth place

Healthy habits: Kate also said she made some changes, saying she now drinks lots of hot water, after not being allowed tea in the jungle, which makes 'a big difference' to how she feels

Healthy habits: Kate also said she made some changes, saying she now drinks lots of hot water, after not being allowed tea in the jungle, which makes ‘a big difference’ to how she feels

Kate spoke to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about her upcoming book which will detail the last year of her family’s life, admitting she’s been feeling ‘physically low and at the end of my tether’ since Christmas.

The mother-of-two appeared emotional as she also told how a friend’s mother-in-law had died from Covid at the age of just 51 after contracting the virus late last month.

Kate told GMB: ‘It’s been a strange time, I’ve been a bit low since Christmas – physically low, I felt physically at the end of my tether and had to regroup a bit. 

‘This week, a friend of mine’s mother-in-law, who is 51 – younger than me – died from Covid. She got it at Christmas, it went down very quickly and she died, I just thought I can’t believe that here we are so far on.’ 

Sad: Last week, Kate gave a heartbreaking update on her husband's ongoing battle with Covid-19, saying 'his body has been ravaged' by the virus

Sad: Last week, Kate gave a heartbreaking update on her husband’s ongoing battle with Covid-19, saying ‘his body has been ravaged’ by the virus 

While Derek no longer has coronavirus, the disease has left him suffering from multiple health conditions including diabetes and holes in his heart and lungs.

‘Derek’s still ravaged from the effects of Covid from way back in March, his recovery is incredibly uncertain,’ Kate explained last Thursday.

Kate added that she’s working with Derek’s medical team to come up with new treatments but she’s finding the scale of the current Covid death rate ‘unbearable’. 

Tough year: Kate spoke to her co-stars about her upcoming book which will detail the last year of her family's life. Released in April, the GMB star's book is titled The Power Of Hope

Tough year: Kate spoke to her co-stars about her upcoming book which will detail the last year of her family’s life. Released in April, the GMB star’s book is titled The Power Of Hope

‘I’m trying to look for new things and new ways and talking to doctors about what we can do for him meanwhile people are still dying in extraordinary numbers – people that aren’t older and haven’t got underlying conditions, it’s unbearable.’

She added to Piers that he inspired her to write her book The Power Of Hope after he told her to keep a diary since the early days of Derek’s illness: ‘You and Susanna say: “You’re just an inspiration to keep going”, and I thought if I could tell my story and some of the people that have helped me then maybe that will be helpful for people.’

Susanna was full of praise for her friend, telling her: ‘What I think is so inspiring is that we know the hell that you are going through but you still turn up all of the time, you’re always just you.

‘You’ve still got a smile, it’s a joy to interact with you and a lot of people think: ‘How can she maintain that?’ 

‘And that’s one of the things I’d like to know from you – when you’re in your lowest, darkest place how can you still look to the light?’

‘The book is not a completely written I must admit. I am about a third a way through it,’ Kate said, adding that writing the book, which will be released in April, has helped her emotionally.

She also revealing the poignant words Piers told her in March 2020 when Derek was first hospitalised. 

Her co-star had referenced a cartoon comic that now-President Joe Biden told him about after losing his son; an animation of someone asking God: ‘Why me?’, and God replying: ‘Why not?’

Kate explained that she sees that cartoon as inspirational, telling Piers and Susanna: ‘It works to inspire you with confidence, what was so powerful about taking that message on board is you don’t waste energy on the unfairness of the world, you pour it into trying to solve it.

‘I then started saying, when they told me that Derek’s chances of survival were next to nothing and will probably die… But some people were surviving it, and I thought: ‘Well, why not? Why can’t Derek survive?’ and ‘Why can’t Derek now be the one who bucks his damage and recovers?”

‘You can start to flip it to shift away the unfairness and try and take it as a positive, and think why not me be the one who comes through this?

‘I think it just takes away that grinding horror of unfairness in all situations.’

Read the full interview with Kate Garraway in the March issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale January 29. 

A timeline of Derek’s coronavirus battle  

MARCH  

Kate revealed she and Prince Charles had got ‘relatively close’ at the Prince’s Trust Awards on March 11 – Charles was diagnosed with coronavirus in mid-March.  

She said: ‘Around the 29/30 March, I came home came in and said [to Derek] ‘god you look ill.’

‘He said he had a headache, numbness in his right hand, and was struggling to breathe,

‘I rang Dr Hilary (Jones) and tried to get through, he talked to Derek. He said put me back on, I think you need to call an ambulance’

Derek, 52, was taken into hospital on March 30 and remained in an unresponsive condition. 

APRIL  

Kate and her children isolated at home after she displayed ‘mild symptoms’.

Kate said: ‘Derek remains in intensive care and is still very ill. I’m afraid it remains an excruciatingly worrying time.

‘I’m afraid he is still in a deeply critical condition, but he is still here, which means there is hope.’ 

MAY 

Kate said: ‘The journey for me and my family seems to be far from over as every day my heart sinks as I learn new and devastating ways this virus has more battles for Derek to fight. 

‘But he is still HERE & so there is still hope.’

That month, Kate and her family took part in the final clap for carers

She said: ‘I’ll never give up on that because Derek’s the love of my life but at the same time I have absolute uncertainty’

JUNE 

On June 5, Kate revealed Derek is now free from coronavirus but continues to fight against the damage inflicted on his body

JULY 

On July 5, Kate revealed Derek has woken from his coma but he remains in a serious yet critical condition.

On July 8, she announced she would be returning to GMB, after being urged by doctors to ‘get on with life’ during Derek’s recovery.   

She added that Derek had ‘opened his eyes’ after waking from his coma, but has been told his recovery could take years.  

On July 13, Kate returned to GMB for the first time since Derek was hospitalised.    

On July 28, Kate revealed she’d paid an ‘extra emotional’ first visit to Derek, and admitted she’s ‘frustrated’ by his slow progress.

AUGUST

On August 14, Kate reassured GMB viewers that Derek was ‘still with us,’ but it was ‘a waiting game.’ 

On August 19, Kate revealed she celebrated Derek’s birthday with their two children, and described the day as ‘challenging’ for her family. 

 SEPTEMBER  

At the end of September, Derek reportedly becomes the longest surviving patient with coronavirus after spending 184 days in and out of intensive care.

Kate reveals Derek has lost eight stone during his battle.

The presenter announces she is returning to her Smooth Radio show so Derek can hear her voice. 

OCTOBER

On October 30 Kate reveals that Derek has spoken for the first time in seven months, saying the word ‘pain’ to his wife, who watched on ‘in tears’ over FaceTime. 

Kate says a day later that her husband no longer needs a ventilator to breathe. 

NOVEMBER 

Kate reveals her family car has been stolen in latest ‘body blow’ to her family life, as kind-hearted fans offer their cars to help.

She says she feels ‘physically sick’ at the prospect of facing her first Christmas without Derek.

DECEMBER 

The GMB star tells viewers it is her dream to visit Derek on Christmas Day.

She also reveals she missed two weeks on GMB after her children were exposed to the virus, but thankfully she and the kids tested negative.

On December 17, Kate has an emotional conversation live on GMB with two nurses who treated Derek when he was first admitted to Whittington Hospital in North London. 

On New Year’s Eve she reflects on a ‘calamitous’ Christmas without Derek, as her house was flooded and she struggled to get a food delivery slot until her pal Emma Willis stepped in to help.

JANUARY 

Kate reveals she and her children got to visit Derek in hospital over the Christmas period, and it was the first time her family had seen him since he was hospitalised.

She also says she’s banned from seeing him due to new restrictions introduced during the government’s third lockdown.