Kate Garraway has opened up about the crippling debt she accrued caring for husband Derek Draper, admitting she’s at ‘crunch point’. 

On Tuesday, Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story, will air on ITV, chronicling the former political lobbyist’s final year of life before his death in January aged 56.

Joining Derek and Kate in May 2023, the film confronts head on the reality of Derek’s struggles and the effect on those around him, while also capturing the sweet moments he spent with family and never-before-seen images and footage.

In scenes from the upcoming documentary, Kate, 56, spoke about the financial constraints she has faced with Derek – who required round-the-clock care before his death.

Faced with a debt of up to £800,000 Kate confessed: ‘Derek’s care costs more than my salary from ITV and that’s before you pay for a mortgage or household bills or anything for the kids – so that is a crunch point.’

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Kate Garraway has opened up about the crippling debt she accrued caring for husband Derek Draper, admitting she’s at ‘crunch point’

She continued: ‘We are in debt and I can’t earn enough money to cover my debt because I’m managing Derek’s care.

‘I can’t even use the money I do have to support Derek’s recovery because it’s going to the basics all the time.

‘I’m not going to pretend I’m poorly paid but it’s not enough.

‘Time and time again the state tells us Derek is not sick enough to qualify for state funded care.

I’ve appealed but that still hasn’t been processed three years later. If this is what’s it like for me then what’s it like for everybody else?

‘Something has to be done or the whole service, the people working in it, everything is going to break.

‘We are entirely reliant on extraordinary carers but the system they work for is incredibly complicated and underfunded…

‘Why is it people get sick and it’s no longer considered the right thing for them to be in hospital, why does coming home feel like falling off a cliff?’

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On Tuesday, Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story, will air on ITV , chronicling the former political lobbyist’s final year of life before his death in January aged 56

Kate’s late husband was plagued with health woes after contracting Covid in March 2020, which saw him put in a coma, battle sepsis and left with difficulties communicating.

Derek’s Story features him talking on camera for the first time since his health battle as he admitted: ‘I want to be heard.’

His limitations and his need for care was evident in the documentary, with the father-of-two breaking down in tears as he attempted to pull himself up onto a walking aide with the help of his mobility therapist.

Unable to stand, Derek burst into tears and labelled himself ‘pathetic’ in heartbreaking scenes.

Kate attempted to console him, insisting ‘it’s not pathetic, you’re absolutely trying’ and the strain on her face was also clear to see.

One sweet moment saw Kate task Derek with opening some of her birthday cards and reading out the messages for her, but even that simple action left Derek in need of rest.

While Derek admitted he could feel an improvement in his health and their son Billy said he could ‘see the difference’, Kate confessed that she couldn’t allow herself to think about what this meant going forward.

She explained: ‘I don’t look forward to the future because every time I feel like this is really fantastic, and we’ve had some amazing moments, something terrible has happened.’

Opening up about her heartbreak for Derek himself, Kate shared: ‘The tragedy for me is that it feels like his brain was his best friend and now it’s his worst enemy.’

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In scenes from the upcoming documentary, Kate, 56, spoke about the financial constraints she has faced with Derek – who required round-the-clock care before his death

Faced with a debt of up to £800,000 Kate confessed: ‘Derek’s care costs more than my salary from ITV and that’s before you pay for a mortgage or household bills’

Detailing a rough patch he was going through, she explained: ‘He has been very down.

‘Wondering about the future a lot of crying. “I’ve let everybody down and what is the meaning of life? what can I contribute?”

‘The thing that helps that is having that sense of purpose, remind him these things take time even if I don’t really know if that’s the answer.’

Kate also offered a heartbreakingly honest account of how Derek’s condition had impacted their 19-year marriage.

She explained: ‘Sometimes you show love with a big bouquet of roses or bringing a cup of tea and he can’t do any of that for me.

‘So he’s trying to work out how to love me. I know he loves me but how does he show that?’

Admitting there are moments when she doesn’t ‘feel’ it from her husband, Kate added: ‘I’m trying to work out if I feel loved by him.

‘I know I am but we’ve got a whole journey there.’

In another scene, Derek was writing in his bed as Kate watched on, with the Good Morning Britain presenter remarking his handwriting was ‘not as clear’ as before but recalling: ‘When I first saw you write your name I burst into tears. You’re still there.’

Former Labour insider and psychotherapist Derek married presenter Kate in 2005 and they went on to welcome children Darcey 17 and Billy, 14.

In 2021, just over a year after contracting Covid, he was able to leave hospital and return to his family home in north London, with round-the-clock care.

In August 2022 he was taken to hospital with sepsis but pulled through. Then in early December 2023, Derek had a heart attack and was taken to hospital again.

Tragically, he wasn’t able to overcome the latest medical emergency and on January 5 Kate confirmed that Derek died.

In a post on social media, she said that her husband died surrounded by family and that she was ‘holding his hand throughout the last long hours’.

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Derek had been plagued with health woes after contracting the virus in March 2020, which saw him put in a coma, battle sepsis and left with difficulties communicating (pictured 2019)

She said his Covid infection had left him with lasting damage to his heart which had led to ‘further complications’.

Kate also thanked the medical teams for making his final moments as ‘comfortable and dignified as possible.’

MailOnline understands Derek passed away on Wednesday night (January 3) in a north London hospital.