Kate Garraway says it is amazing to have husband Derek Draper home.
Former political adviser Draper (53) was admitted to hospital in March last year with coronavirus symptoms.
Presenter Garraway, also (53) told Good Morning Britain of the decision to bring him home: It felt as though everything had stalled medically and, if anything, was going slightly back.
She said doctors decided lets give this a go, get him home safely, to see whether being in the family environment again helps.
Doctors looked at his cognition and consciousness and tried to think what would be the best way to improve that, she said.
She said it was an emotional reunion with their children.
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Derek Draper arrives back to his home in north London.
Derek Draper arrives back to his home in north London.
As we pulled up I saw two little faces, Darcey and Billy looking out the window, and I could literally see them going, Hes here.
And they ran out and ran to open the door and he immediately burst into tears and there was a lot of hugging
He absolutely knew he was home, she said.
Hes absolutely responding and aware.
Garraway said there had been lovely moments, such as setting the table for four people, and giving Draper one of her casseroles, which he loves.
It feels like the start of a huge chapter but a really big and important one, she told the ITV show.
He cant really move, we do need a lot of help, it is 24-hour care, its going to take a lot of adjustment.
And she added: I havent really slept as you can probably tell.
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Kate Garraway’s new book, The Power of Hope. The Good Morning Britain presenter will “share the raw and emotional story” of her husband’s “long fight” against Covid-19.
Kate Garraway’s new book, The Power of Hope. The Good Morning Britain presenter will “share the raw and emotional story” of her husband’s “long fight” against Covid-19.
It does feel like the hospital has come home with me at the moment, she said.
It is hoped the move will prompt some recovery because he has definitely plateaued at this level.
Were hugely grateful for this level and not losing him. But we really want to see if we can move forward, if we can get him speaking more, if hes able to move more its going to be very slow and a bit of a wait-and-see.
Last month ITV broadcast Finding Derek, a documentary exploring Drapers illness and its effect on their two children.
It detailed their experiences during Drapers illness and featured Good Morning Britain host Garraway speaking to people suffering long Covid, NHS staff and other experts.
One scene saw her recall being told by Drapers doctors that he was the most seriously ill person they had seen who remained alive.
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