Kate Garraway fears she may have to give up GMB job to care for husband Derek in new documentary

Presenter said she ‘feared’ quitting work and the ‘different dynamic’ it would bring to her relationship

Kate Garraway has shared fears that she may need to give up her job on Good Morning Britain to become a full-time carer for her husband Derek Draper.

Draper was hospitalised after contracting coronavirus in March 2020 and has now spent the past 12 months in a medically induced coma.

Garraway will discuss her personal journey over the last year in a new ITV documentary, Finding Derek, which airs tonight (23 March) on ITV.

In a preview released ahead of the special, Garraway discussed the future for her family and the way their “dynamic” may change if she has to quit GMB to care for her husband.

Speaking to her son Bill, 11, she said: "You know that we are hoping that Dad will get better and better, but when he comes home he will probably need to be in a wheelchair, so we are trying to make it so he can do all this.

Kate Garraway: Finding Derek airs tonight (ITV)

Read more:

• What to expect from Kate Garraway’s ITV documentary, Finding Derek
• Derek Draper: The year-long Covid battle of Kate Garraway’s husband

“If I have to give up work to care for him then it is best to do it now when I am earning money,” Garraway continued. “If he needs 24-hour care I will be the primary carer. I have a fear of the reality of that life. It is a completely different dynamic to our relationship.”

However, addressing her comments on GMB on Tuesday, Garraway said that she was “not going anywhere”.

“The truth is as much as I like to think I have all the answers sometimes, Derek doesn’t need me, I’m not the person to care for him,” she told co-host Ben Shephard.

Draper and Garraway in 2019 (James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock)

“I will obviously be there completely, 100 per cent if that would make a difference but actually what Derek needs is specialist, professional, medical support ongoing because there is a good chance he can improve but we need to make sure that support is there now for that to happen.”

A spokesperson for Garraway told The Independent: “Kate will not be giving up her role on GMB, in fact, her job has been something of a lifeline and really kept her spirits up over this past year and she has no plans to change that.”

In the documentary, the TV host also speaks to other families who have been severely affected by Covid, particularly those suffering from long-term symptoms.

Kate Garraway: Finding Derek airs on Tuesday 23 March at 9pm on ITV.