Kate Garraway has said she hopes to form a bubble with husband Derek Draper so she can see him on Christmas Day amid his coronavirus battle.
The Good Morning Britain star, 53, replied to a social media user on Twitter as she admitted things weren’t ‘quite clear’ at the moment.
The account had replied to Kate’s co-host, Charlotte Hawkins, who had tweeted: ‘Just when we thought this year couldn’t get any worse…. #christmasiscancelled’.
Upsetting time: Kate Garraway has said she hopes to form a bubble with husband Derek Draper so she can see him on Christmas Day amid his coronavirus battle (pictured in November)
They responded: ‘I truly hope in all of this @kategarraway & her children gets to form a bubble and to see Derek. It’s hard for all of us, but harder for her as her situation is unique. Ella-Rose [Charlotte’s daughter, five] will keep you busy I’m sure.’
Kate retweeted the user’s message and added: ‘I hope so too Fatimah – not quite clear at the moment but thank you for thinking of me and the others in the same situation xxx.’
The presenter shares two children – Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11 – with husband Derek, 53, who was admitted to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms in March and still remains seriously ill.
Scary: Derek, 53, was originally admitted to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms in March and remains seriously ill (pictured in December 2019)
Reaching out: The Good Morning Britain star, 53, replied to a social media user on Twitter as she admitted things weren’t ‘quite clear’ at the moment
On Saturday afternoon, Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that a third of England – including London and swathes of the home counties – will be thrust into a brutal ‘Tier 4’ lockdown from midnight.
The draconian bracket will see non-essential shops shut, and travel restrictions including a ‘stay at home’ order for Christmas Day itself – even though Mr Johnson insisted just days ago that it would be ‘inhuman’ to axe five-day festive ‘bubbles’.
The introduction of the new tier seeks to curb a new more infectious strain of the virus, Johnson explained during a press briefing.
Christmas plans for millions of Londoners were thrown into doubt by the Prime Minister’s announcement, with many planning on travelling out of the capital during the relaxation of coronavirus measures between December 23 and 27.
Upset: The account had replied to Kate’s co-host, Charlotte Hawkins, who had tweeted: ‘Just when we thought this year couldn’t get any worse…. #christmasiscancelled’.
Announcement: On Saturday afternoon, Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that a third of England – including London – will be thrust into a brutal ‘Tier 4’ lockdown from midnight
Earlier this week, Kate emotionally said that she is trying to be both ‘mum and dad’ for her two children amid her husband Derek’s coronavirus battle
The Good Morning Britain presenter was awarded Inspiration Of The Year at the virtual HELLO! Star Women Awards on Thursday night, where she spoke about her difficult 2020.
Speaking in an emotional acceptance speech via video, Kate said that the past few months has brought her ‘closer’ with her two children Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11, and she is trying to make sure there is ‘enough laughter’ in their life during the ‘sad’ time.
Talking about her plans for Christmas, Kate emotionally said: ‘If you’ve lost someone due to COVID or lost someone for whatever reason, I think Christmas is very tough.
‘So I’m lucky that Derek is still with us and we still have hope for next year but it is hard to know how to plan because we have very specific traditions.
‘We’d always go to Derek’s parents’ on Christmas Eve and we’d go to church. I don’t think any of that’s possible because we need to stay close to Derek in the hospital.’
Kate said that she is trying to form new traditions with her two children and that her GMB co-host Ben Shephard has sweetly offered to help over the festive period.
She continued: ‘So I’ve been talking to the children about forming new traditions and I think we’re going to have a Christmas season, so we’ve already watched Nativity. Key moment.
‘We do have a ten-foot high inflatable Santa, obviously, and a ten foot high inflatable penguin. You can imagine how delighted the neighbours are when that goes up – I think Ben Shephard’s offered to come and help.’
Family: Earlier this week, Kate emotionally said that she is trying to be both ‘mum and dad’ for her two children amid her husband Derek’s coronavirus battle (pictured with Derek and children Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11, in December 2019)
Earlier this week, Kate had an emotional conversation with two nurses who saved her husband Derek’s life during Thursday’s Good Morning Britain.
The presenter had the chance to speak to Kathleen and Karen who work at North London’s Whittington Hospital, after they were invited to perform on the ITV show as part of a hospital choir.
Kate revealed she hadn’t been able to speak to the nurses after they worked on former lobbyist and political advisor Derek, 53, in the early stages of his COVID-19 battle in March.
She said: ‘You saved his life. I’m going to get emotional, so thank you so much.’
Kathleen and Karen are part of a nationwide hospital choir releasing a cover of The Police hit Every Breath You Take for charity.
Kate then told GMB viewers and her co-host Ben Shephard:’I actually found out they looked after my husband Derek so I can’t wait to talk to them.’
Later in the show, Kate had her chance, as she told the nurses: ‘It’s so great to talk to you because I didn’t realise you cared for Derek at Whittington when he was first taken in.’
‘You saved his life,’ she told them, adding: ‘I’m going to get emotional, so thank you so much.
Thank you: It comes after Kate had an emotional conversation with two nurses who saved her husband Derek Draper’s life during Thursday’s Good Morning Britain
‘I’ve never spoken to you because we weren’t allowed to visit, it was a chaotic time, very often I wasn’t given information from direct carers so thank you so much.’
Kathleen said to Kate in response: ‘I was here the day he was admitted so we just want to wish you all the best from here.’
‘It’s been a difficult time,’ Karen added of their work more recently. ‘I think everybody acknowledges that, we are so much better this time around. Kathleen and I have been training everyone.’
Kate added another thank you as she told the nurses: ‘You’re absolute heroes, you’re saviours for Derek and it’s so wonderful to see your faces personally, let’s hope the single goes to number one.’
The broadcaster returned to GMB on Thursday for her first show in two weeks, and spoke about the possibility of not being able to see Derek, who remains critically ill in hospital
The presenter told Ben Shephard it would be her family’s ‘dream’ to see Derek on the special day, while he continues to recover from COVID-19 in intensive care.
Kate also revealed she was forced to miss two weeks of the show after she and her children suffered a coronavirus scare – but they have since tested negative.
The mother of two said: ‘I’m finding it really challenging and I know you at home are as well. I find it really tricky.’
‘You saved his life’: The presenter had the chance to speak to Kathleen and Karen who work at North London’s Whittington Hospital and worked on Derek when he was first admitted
‘I know it’s a slightly unique position I’m in but it’s also not because lots of people have got loved ones who are vulnerable, who are sick, either with COVID or with other things.
‘Obviously my dream is for the children and I to see Derek on Christmas Day in some way. The challenges of that are we have to stay really safe in order to visit him and isolate.
‘There’s also a question of, if we’re doing that can we have my mum and dad there?’
The star said she wanted to avoid ‘if possible’ having Christmas day with just herself, daughter Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11, adding: ‘I think that would make Derek’s absence feel huge and the rest of the family’s absence feel huge but it’s quite a difficult balance to work it all out.’
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Grateful: ‘You saved his life,’ Kate told the nurses, adding: ‘I’m going to get emotional, so thank you so much’
Speaking to Dr Hillary Jones, Ben responded: ‘Hillary, that’s a challenge for people up and down the country. Kate wants to make Christmas as fun and as normal as it can be for Darcey and Bill.’
Kate also revealed she had missed two weeks of GMB as her and her kids were exposed to COVID-19.
Luckily, Kate and her children all tested negative and the star returned to the show on Thursday.
She said: ‘It’s lovely to be back, I’m sorry I’ve been absent for a couple of weeks now.
‘Well, a few challenges kicking off, challenges with Derek as there always are.
‘So we had outside of Derek a little bit of a scare. In the sense that, we found out the children had come into contact with somebody who after they came into contact with them, tested positive for coronavirus – isn’t seriously ill.
‘It’s happening a lot because of schools, so just to be ultra, ultra, ultra cautious, kept them at home, kept me at home until we got negative tests.
‘We got two negative tests actually, because you know me, more is more. So all three of us had negative tests, mercifully.’
She continued: ‘I did think, ‘oh my goodness, this is going to be very difficult, obviously horrific if any of us get sick’. And I’ve had it. I had it when Derek got sick.’
Heartbreaking: Kate also spoke about the possibility of not being able to see her critically-ill husband at Christmas during an emotional chat on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain
Derek was originally admitted to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms on March 30 and remains seriously ill.
Earlier this month, Kate told Ben she ‘is in total panic’ as she and her children are still unable to visit Derek in hospital.
The media personality previously admitted Derek had ‘a tough week,’ as she shared her uncertainty over whether her long-term partner could finally be discharged.
The co-hosts were discussing the possibility of more COVID-19 restrictions over the festive period.
She said that as Derek is still too ill to return home, and her children’s grandparents are unable to visit, she’ll be facing her first Christmas alone since her eldest daughter Darcey was born.
‘I feel physically sick actually and can feel my chest tightening at the thought of it,’ Kate said.
‘I’m in total panic about the idea of me, Darcey and Billy on our own this Christmas unable to visit Derek because of potential restrictions.
‘That huge emotional hole, and I don’t know how to fill it, without grandparents and without friends helping to fill it.
‘It feels like such a significant moment as all festivals are. I do feel in a panic about it, but we’re in this situation because of the spread of a disease that at the moment doesn’t have a cure.’
Last month it was reported that Kate is in a state of uncertainty over whether or not Derek will be discharged from hospital after spending more than 214 days in intensive care with the potentially life-threatening virus.
Tricky: The star said she wanted to avoid ‘if possible’ having Christmas day with just herself, daughter Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11, adding: ‘I think that would make Derek’s absence feel huge’ (pictured December 2019)
Speaking to Closer, weather presenter Clare Nazir – a close friend of the Good Morning Britain host – claims the lack of absolutes regarding her stricken husband’s health is ‘eating her alive.’
She said: ‘Kate is a warrior and she’ll do what she has to do to get through this. This is someone who isn’t fazed by interviewing the Prime Minister or victims of child abuse, because she can relate to everybody and has the mental capacity to cope.
‘She’s incredibly resilient. Some people would’ve crumbled by now, but this is going to make her stronger.’
She added: ‘Her priority is to keep her kids’ lives as normal as possible. The uncertainty eats her alive, but she doesn’t want that to transition to them.’
In October, Kate revealed Derek mouthed the word ‘pain’ – his first word since falling ill – when asked by nurses if he was in any discomfort.
While Kate said it was ‘heartbreaking’ he was suffering, it marked progress in his recovery since being struck down with coronavirus in March.
But Kate is ‘keeping herself in check’ and said: ‘The power of hope is huge but you’re constantly trying to think, at what point do I have to start being real.’
