Kate Garraway to take break from Good Morning Britain to care for husband Derek Draper and family

TV presenter will be off-screen for a week

Kate Garraway has announced she is taking time off from Good Morning Britain to care for her husband, who contracted coronavirus earlier this year, and her family.

Derek Draper has been in hospital since March, when he was placed in an induced coma.

“I’m actually not here next week,” Garraway, who initially took three months off and returned in July, told viewers on today’s episode of GMB (Friday 21 August). “I’m taking a bit of time off, to help [son] Billy get ready for secondary school, and my other children.

“And also Derek, look after that. I just want to say thank you to all of you [at home] for absolutely being brilliant since I’ve come back through troubling times.”

In July, Garraway revealed that Draper was no longer in a coma. However, his battle with Covid-19 has severely impacted his body including leaving holes in his heart and damaged lungs.

Draper and Garraway (Rex)

Earlier this month, Garraway admitted to feeling guilty for having fun while Draper remains in hospital. She said: “You feel almost bad because you think, ‘Oh, I’m laughing and he’s still there in a kind of minimally conscious state,’ and it’s a difficult balance.”