'He's a long way from the Derek you knew': Kate Garraway reveals her husband is still 'devastated' by Covid-19 and his communication is 'minimal' amid ongoing health battle

• e-mail

Kate Garraway has given an update on her husband Derek Draper's health, saying he 'can't really move' and still has minimal communication.

The TV presenter, 54, has endured a harrowing year after Derek, 53, became critically ill with coronavirus and spent more than a year in intensive care.

Appearing on the BBC's The Andrew Marr Show, Kate said her husband is still 'devastated' by the virus, after having been previously warned he still has a long way to go in his recovery.

Health: Kate Garraway has given an update on her husband Derek Draper's health, saying he 'can't really move' and still has minimal communication

She said: 'He came home on April the 7th so we're a few weeks into it now. How is he? Look, he's devastated by Covid. 

'He can't really move, his communication is very minimal. There are moments where there's up, you feel you know he's in there. He has a lot of memory. 

'But the accessing of it is very limited. He's a long way from the Derek Draper that you know Andrew but he's home and he's alive, he's asleep now.'

Andrew replied: 'Give him all our love and all our very best wishes.'

'Absolutely,' Kate said. 

Heartbreaking: The TV presenter, 54, has endured a harrowing year after Derek, 53, became critically ill with coronavirus and spent more than a year in intensive care

Kate recently revealed she has had the same EDMR therapy Prince Harry has had, after the royal documented a session in his new mental health documentary.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Friday, Kate said she too had tried the therapy, which provides bilateral stimulation by tapping the hands or moving eyes rapidly, to help overcome the effects of psychological trauma.

Explaining the therapy, Kate said: 'It's called Eye Movement Desentisiation Reprocessing, a bit of a mouthful, I have actually had a little bit of this. 

'It's not a million miles away from from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, processes like this. Less to do with therapy where you talk about your childhood, it's more practical.' 

Recovery: Kate said her husband is still 'devastated' by the virus, after having been previously warned he still has a long way to go in his recovery

Dr Amir Khan said: 'People generally when they have had traumatic life experiences have a tendency to bury it away in their minds, and in their brains, and it stops them from healing. 

'They then get things like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and what this therapy aims to do is unlock some of that.'

Dr Amir continued: 'What we have seen there is Harry using external stimulus by tapping on his shoulder, and therapist will ask the patient to focus on a traumatic memory, and while they are doing that they will either move their eyes very quickly following their hands, or use external stimulus like tapping.'

Kate described Harry's mental health revelations on his Apple TV+ show as 'heartbreaking'. 

Talking: Kate recently revealed she has had the same EDMR therapy Prince Harry has had, after the royal documented a session in his new mental health documentary

Kate and Derek's trauma began at the start of the pandemic last year when he was taken to hospital with very low oxygen levels in March.

His condition worsened and he became one of the most stricken patients, remaining in intensive care for a year and despite having returned home, he is seriously ill and still suffers from complications after contracting the virus.

When asked about the prospect of giving up during her year of hell, Kate said: 'No and really, what is the choice? If I give up, I'd be throwing in the towel...

'Derek wasn't giving up, he didn't throw in towel, the nurses and doctors didn't throw in towel? I think hope is tangible and concrete if you can make it so...

'There is hope, you still have to think of hope in future and lots of people helped me have hope for the future'.

Harrowing: Kate and Derek's trauma began at the start of the pandemic last year when he was taken to hospital with very low oxygen levels in March

It comes after Kate's new emotional memoir about Derek's battle with Covid jumped to the top of the book charts in its first week of sales earlier this month.

The Good Morning Britain presenter's book The Power Of Hope tells in raw detail Derek's ordeal.

On Thursday, brave Kate took time out from her busy day to sign copies of the book, sharing a photo of herself sitting on the floor of the Smooth Radio offices holding a pen while surrounded by a pile of books.

Kate's new memoir also pays tribute to 'the brilliant team of doctors and specialists' who have looked after Derek.

As well as topping the UK Official Top 50 book chart, it has also leapt straight into Amazon's Most Sold: Non-Fiction chart - knocking Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet off the top spot and leapfrogging Charlie Mackesy's The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse.

In the emotional memoir, Kate describes how the toughest experience of her life began in March last year when Derek - who recently returned home amid his horrendous coronavirus battle - was taken to hospital with very low oxygen levels. 

Sweet: On Thursday, brave Kate took time out from her busy day to sign copies of the book, sharing a photo of herself sitting on the floor of the Smooth Radio offices

His condition worsened and he became one of the most stricken patients, remaining in intensive care for a year.

Despite returning home recently, Derek remains seriously ill and doctors say he was the most seriously sick patient to have survived the virus.

As well as recounting how the illness took hold of their lives, she writes about how she is coping with the uncertainty of their future and how she is supporting their two children - Darcey, 15, and Billy, 11 - through this traumatic time.

Discussing her path to releasing the book, Kate gave a candid interview on Friday, where she attributed her notes to Piers Morgan saying: 'It was actually Piers Morgan who very early on said, 'you've got to write this down...'

'And I didn't, really, because there didn't seem time to write things down. But he said to just write words that you'll remember because he said you won't remember some of these things.'

Chart-topping: Kate's new emotional memoir (pictured) about her husband's battle with Covid jumped to the top of the book charts in its first week of sales earlier this month