Good Morning Britainpresenter Kate Garraway says she’s at “crunch point” and is struggling with the debt from caring for her late husband Derek Draper
Eve Macdonald
Candid as ever, Kate Garraway has opened up about her staggering debt after caring for her late husband Derek Draper, who sadly passed away in January.
Kate, 56, is thought to be “struggling” and “considering her options” after opening up about her £800,000 debt – a sum that accumulated during Derek’s four-year health battle.
Derek passed away aged 56 after becoming seriously ill with Covid-19 in March 2020. He spent 100 days in a coma then required long-term, round-the-clock care.
Kate recently revealed that despite having a “well paid job”, her salary didn’t cover the staggering cost of treatment. And according to a source, the pressure of trying to clear the debt is playing on the grieving star’s mind.
“Kate is really struggling with the debt she has after the cost of care for Derek,” the source said. “It’s a lot of money and it’s a very frightening time for her.
“She’s being very open about it because she’s had a lot of trolling about going back to work and she wants to silence the trolls.
“She’s being very mindful about money and is considering all her options at the moment. All of this on top of grieving is very difficult for her, but she’s a very strong woman.”
The Good Morning Britainhost, who is mum to daughter Darcey and son Billy, made the brave decision to return to work three days after Derek’s funeral, and later revealed she’d had some “flak” for her demeanour.
“I got a bit of flak on social media yesterday for laughing with you as though that would imply I didn’t care,” she told her co-host Ben Shephard.
“But when you’re laughing, you’re laughing because you want the joy that person brought to continue.
“And you know that people watching at home have got troubles in their life and you want to share that joy with them. So it’s a licence to laugh and to cry and to be all things.”
Although Derek’s care has left Kate in debt, she says she had no choice but to pay for it.
Talking about the care system, she said, “It’s supposed to be a system that’s meant to catch you if you fall, but actually, it feels like it’s trying to catch you out. You feel like you’re in the dock answering questions about thing
