Ben Shephard has praised his "remarkable" friend Kate Garraway following her emotional interview on Good Morning Britain on Friday. Speaking for the first time since her husband Derek Draper was admitted to intensive care nine weeks ago, Kate held back tears as she admitted she doesn't know if he will recover or how long it will take. Reflecting on the morning's events, Ben later shared a touching video on Instagram to thank his fans for their outpouring of love.
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He said: "I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you for all the amazing messages that you've taken the time to send me after Kate's interview with us this morning on the show. She's just remarkable, and for her to speak with such eloquence, and honesty and positivity in the face of truly horrific circumstances for her and her family is testament to what an incredible person she is."
Ben Shephard praised his 'remarkable' friend Kate
He added: "I know what a difference the messages you are sending (make), and the great source of strength and support they are for her, Bill and Darcey at the moment. So I just wanted to say thank you. I can't reply to all of them because there are just so many and the ones that say, 'I don't suppose you'll ever read this Ben', I've read it and I appreciate every single one, they really do make a huge difference, so thank you."
Kate's husband Derek has been in intensive care for nine weeks
MORE: Kate Garraway cries as she reveals her husband Derek's last words to her and their children
During her interview, Kate did share some positive news that Derek is now coronavirus free, but admitted the toll the virus has taken on his body has left him "very sick". "He's still with us," Kate said. "He has fought the most extraordinary battle and I hate that idea of fighting a battle because it is a battle, but the fact that he's still here and is holding on. I hate the idea that other people haven't fought hard enough or something. And I'm just so grateful that he's still here and I've got the option of praying and hoping when others have had that stripped away, but he is very, very sick."
She added: "Let's look at some of the positives – he is now COVID free. So he's testing negative for the COVID virus. So the fight with the virus has been won and he's still here, but it’s wreaked extraordinary damage on his body and we don't know if he can recover basically."
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