In this week's exclusive HELLO! column, Lorraine Kelly is looking to the brave and strong women who continue to inspire her throughout the pandemic. She gives a special mention to her friend and colleague, Kate Garraway, whose husband Derek Draper has sadly remained in hospital since last March after contracting coronavirus. Read Lorraine's column below...
We are halfway through January already and can start looking ahead to the spring when things will get better. I was so heartened by the sight of a little clump of snowdrops in our garden this week. It just made me think of renewal and rebirth. They are such brave little blossoms and so resilient.
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When it actually comes to resilience, there are so many women I admire, and when I feel a bit overwhelmed by what's going on in the world, their courage and tenacity inspire me.
WATCH: Lorraine Kelly says she's inspired by Kate Garraway
First of all, there's my friend and colleague Kate Garraway. She has been incredible dealing with the fact her husband Derek is still so seriously ill. He was hospitalised last March after contracting Covid-19 and is still fighting for his life.
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Kate has had to stay strong for her children Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11, and I'm in awe of her sheer strength. She comes to work at GMB in the early morning, is always a total professional, and just gets on with trying to make life as normal as possible for her kids. Kate has never lost hope and like all of us cannot wait for the day that Derek is well enough to go home.
"Kate has never lost hope," said Lorraine
Then there's mum Deborah James who is living with stage four bowel cancer and still her glass is not just half full, it is positively overflowing. She is quite simply one of the most positive people I know. Deborah has undergone gruelling pioneering surgery, raises funds and awareness of bowel cancer, helps other sufferers and is also currently homeschooling her children Hugo, 12, and Eloise, ten. Her sunny outlook and positivity are incredible and it rubs off on all of us.
And this week I spoke to fifty-year-old Cor Hutton, an amazing woman from Lochwinnoch, near Glasgow who was given a five percent chance of survival after contracting sepsis in 2013 and having her hands and feet amputated. Against all the odds, and just a few months out of hospital, she was walking on artificial legs and planning to climb mountains.
Two years ago this month Cor had a successful double hand transplant, which was incredibly successful and has allowed her to do even more for her charity Finding Your Feet. Talking to her made me feel so uplifted. Her courage and determination also made me believe anything is possible.
If these women can overcome such trauma, then we can all face the next few months together, sticking to the rules (even though it's really hard and we miss our loved ones) and waiting for the vaccine. Just think of those tough little snowdrops. Spring will be here soon. We will get through this.
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