GMB host Kate Garraway staged her own personal Clap for Carers on Thursday night with her children Darcey and Billy as her husband Derek Draper remained in hospital battling for his life after contracting Covid-19. The brave mum of two shared her sweet family moment on Instagram just hours after confirming she was to return to Good Morning Britain the following day to give fans an update on the show.
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" No official #clapforcarers tonight but we just wanted have our own mini one as our heartfelt thanks go on to all fighting to keep Derek with us," the 53-year-old TV presenter captioned a video of herself and her two kids clapping in their kitchen. "Tomorrow I will have the chance to update you & thank you for all your support on @gmb - see you at seven. #hope #staypositive."
The social media message came shortly after her return to the popular morning news show was announced on the GMB Twitter account. "Kate Garraway's husband Derek Draper has been fighting for his life against coronavirus. Tomorrow, from 7 am, she joins Ben and Ranvir, to speak about how her family has been coping over the past nine weeks."
And what a difficult nine weeks it has been for Kate. The former I'm a Celebrity contestant has been keeping fans and wellwishers updated on a weekly basis but it's been clear to see that Derek's long stint in ICU has taken its toll on the whole family.
As well as giving thanks to the doctors and nurses looking after her husband, Kate has used her Thursday evening messages to thank her fans and followers for their endless messages of support.
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This week, Kate's GMB co-presenter Susanna Reid revealed just how much the Thursday Clap for Our Carers ritual has meant to Kate, revealing in her Daily Mail column: "It will be strange this evening when we don't all gather on our doorsteps, pots and pans in hand, to Clap For Our Carers. It has become a national ritual to honour our wonderful NHS medical teams and all those who have saved lives during this crisis. Although officially this has come to an end, I'm sure many people will continue to mark 8pm in their own way, even if just taking a moment for reflection."
She added: "It has been a time of unity with people around us, and I know that it has been a source of great comfort for my dear friend and ITV colleague Kate Garraway, whose husband Derek Draper has been in a critical care unit with Covid-19 for ten weeks. Kate's moving Instagram posts every Thursday evening have kept everyone connected. Both Kate and Derek are in my thoughts every day."