Kate Garraway has revealed that husband Derek Draper has regained “minimal” consciousness and has opened his eyes for the first time since he went into a coma in April.
52-year-old Derek was taken into hospital in March after falling ill with Covid-19. While he has regained some level of consciousness, Derek remains in intensive care.
The TV presenter told HELLO!, “We’re keeping positive and doing everything we can to bring him round. The children and I communicate with him every day on FaceTime, while a nurse holds his iPad.
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“I really believe he can hear. When medical staff say: ‘Good morning, Derek,’ he sometimes opens his eyes. We and the doctors are doing everything we can so that he can start to recover.”
Kate has been told on frequent occasions that husband Derek may not pull through – his condition deemed “deeply critical” – so will no doubt be overjoyed with this new progress.
Kate has previously revealed on Good Morning Britain what Derek’s last words were before he was taken into intensive care.
“He was thinking, ‘What do I take with me’, we were rushing around, helped him down the stairs and they put him in the ambulance and put a mask on him to breathe and Darcey and Billy came out all worried and said ‘You’re the best children anybody could ever ask for, look after mum, be good for her.’
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“He went into the ambulance and that was it. Went into hospital and went straight to intensive care.”
Derek’s hospitalisation came just months after the pair revealed plans to renew their wedding vows following Kate’s hugely successful stint in the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle.
“We’d planned the wedding for the end of summer, but I don’t suppose we’ll be booking anything now because we don’t really know what we can do,” she told Fabulous magazine.
“The wedding is something wonderful to look forward to when this is all over. That’s what we’re trying to do – think of all the good things.”
