Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway has confirmed husband Derek Draper has regained his accent, which has given her and the family hope that he can make a recovery.
Kate, 53, revealed the news as she discussed her new documentary Finding Derek on Good Morning Britain.
The programme, which aired on Tuesday evening on ITV, explored Derek’s battle with coronavirus and how the family has struggled to communicate with Derek over the last few months.
At the moment, Derek remains in intensive care, despite no longer having coronavirus.
Derek, also 53, is currently dealing with kidney failure, damage to his liver and pancreas, and heart failure as a result of suffering from Covid-19.
He was also in a coma last year.
(Image: ITV)
When asked about her almost daily FaceTime sessions with Derek and the documentary, Kate told Good Morning Britain viewers: “Conversations are stretching it, maybe it is more words. That gives you hope.
“There are moments in the documentary where people who know Derek will know that he is there and for so long that has been the horror, is he still in there? Is he still trapped inside himself or is he gone?”
Kate also expressed her joy with Derek who is originally from Chorley, Lancashire, regaining his Chorley accent, as she said: “He has even got his accent back, there is even some good old Chorley coming through.
“You can’t take Chorley out of a man. So that is miraculous.”
Speaking openly on GMB, Kate explained that she wouldn’t mind giving up work full time to care for Derek, as he will most likely need expert medical support for years to come.
But when speaking to her co-host Ben Shephard she admitted that the possibility of her giving up her work wouldn’t work for either of them.
Speaking to Ben, Kate said: “You can’t get rid of me that easily, Shephard, I’m not going anywhere!
“I don’t think I ever really saw it as ever giving up work. I saw it as ‘right I am going to have to change my future’.”
She added: “Actually, the reality is that ITV, Smooth Radio, everybody has been so supportive and to be honest, being here has kept me sane, not just because you are all amazing and supportive but people at home are so supportive, and it’s a slice of normal. It’s a slice of life before.
“And the truth is, that as much as I might think I have all the answers sometimes, Derek doesn’t need me. I am not the person to care for him.
“Obviously, I would be there completely 100% If that would make a difference.
“But actually what Derek needs is specialists, professional medical support ongoing, because there is a good chance that he can improve. People in this situation need expertise and I’m not an expert.”
When speaking to the Mirror earlier this week, Kate explained that she purchased an iPad for Derek last year and, with assistance from the nurses at the hospital, they were able to speak every day – even during the lockdown.
She has even found a way to incorporate Derek into their everyday home life by using the iPad propped up so he can sometimes join her and their two children Darcey and Billy around the dinner table from his hospital bed.
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As the family have been unable to visit Derek in hospital since Christmas due to lockdown, this form of communication definitely helps.
“I feel that sometimes actually the sounds of home, even if it’s not directly talking at him, must be very comforting too, I would hope, as well,” she said.
Kate’s emotional documentary, Finding Derek will air Tuesday, March 23 at 9pm on ITV.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
