Kate Garraway is facing another emotional struggle after it was reported her husband Derek Draper underwent a "serious operation" on his kidneys amid his long battle with COVID-19.
SEE: Kate Garraway shares candid selfie after positive update on husband Derek Draper's health
The GMB star has kept fans updated on Derek's condition, filling them in on his hospital stays and treatments he's undergoing ever since he fell seriously ill in March 2020 after contracting the disease.
WATCH: Ben Shephard addresses Kate Garraway's absence from show
But in a fresh new blow to the family, it has been reported that Derek – who has suffered long-lasting damage to major organs as a result of coronavirus – has suffered another setback.
The former political advisor, 54, is believed to have had surgery on his kidneys as they "suffered some pretty serious damage" as a result of COVID-19, with Kate rushing to be by his bedside for support, according to The Sun.
READ: Kate Garraway's major home renovations for husband Derek revealed
SEE: Kate Garraway's husband Derek Draper takes 'serious turn for the worse'
Doctors are also said to have reassured Kate that the surgery is "routine" after they explained there was "no alternative but to operate".
© Photo: InstagramDerek has been battling the effects of COVID-19 since 2020
While Kate hasn't spoken about Derek's latest health woes, she did take to Instagram on Friday for the first time in almost a week to share an uplifting post with her followers.
Kate encouraged her fans to "escape the train strikes and tube strikes" by tuning into her ITV show, Garraway's Good Stuff, on Saturday, where she was joined by Deliciously Ella and former Strictly star Melvin Odoom.
Derek's latest health update comes after Kate revealed she is spending "pretty much all my time in hospital" as she shared a brief update on him during Thursday's GMB.
Kate encouraged fans to escape from their lives by tuning into her show
"I spend pretty much all of my time on trains, or in hospital with Derek," she said during a conversation with rail union boss Mick Lynch about strikes on the rail network.
Kate has only recently returned to GMB after taking three weeks off work after Derek was rushed to hospital and admitted to intensive care with life-threatening sepsis.
Opening up about his setback, Kate revealed that Derek's "kidneys were really badly infected, blocked, and the challenge now is to save them", which would explain his most recent operation.
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