Kate Garraway reveals horrifying hospital error as she was told husband ‘may have died’

Kate Garraway
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Leah Sinclair14 March 2021

Kate Garraway has revealed she was told her husband “may have died” by hospital staff and was left without confirmation for 24 hours.

Ms Garraway’s husband, Derek Draper, has been hospitalised for over a year after being diagnosed with coronavirus in March 2020 and placed into an induced coma.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, the Good Morning Britain presenter opened up about her difficult year as Mr Draper continues to fight for his life in hospital.

She revealed that Mr Draper’s health remains in limbo, with doctors unable to give her any certainty about what his future will look like.

During this time, she was once told that “he may have died” and that “somebody will call you back.”

For 24 hours, Ms Garraway was unaware of her husband’s status as she called and couldn’t get through.

“Then it turned out that somebody had died who had a similar name to his,” she said.

The hospital error was one of many difficult experiences for Ms Garraway, which will be explored in a new ITV documentary Katie Garraway: Finding Derek which airs on March 23.

The documentary will include footage of Mr Draper in hospital and scenes from Ms Garraway’s home life.

One of the major changes viewers are expected to see is Mr Draper’s dramatic weight loss.

The 53-year-old former lobbyist has lost eight stone since he was admitted to hospital.

"The change in his body is shocking," Ms Garraway said.

She added that it was “highly unlikely” her husband would make a good recovery.

"They said, ‘It’s highly unlikely he will make a good recovery. But we can’t rule out that he’ll make a reasonable recovery.’ I said, ‘OK, what does a reasonable recovery look like?’ And they said, ‘Being able to hold a hairbrush.’"

Mr Draper no longer has coronavirus, but has been left with several complications after Covid-19 ravaged his internal organs.

His kidneys failed, he suffered damage to his liver and pancreas, his heart stopped multiple times and he was left with holes in his heart.

He’s also been left with holes in his lungs after suffering multiple bacterial infections.

While Mr Draper has since tested negative for the virus, he remains in a low state of consciousness.

Alongside the documentary, Ms Garraway has been writing a book, The Power of Hope, which she hopes can help others to get through their own crises.

Ms Garraway and Mr Draper met in 2004 and married in 2005.

They share two children; a daughter, Darcey, 15, and a son, Billy, 11.

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