Piers Morgan says Kate Garraway’s husband ‘may never come out of coma’

Derek Draper has been in intensive care since March 2020 after contracting coronavirus

(Rex Features)

Kate Garraway has been told her husband Derek Draper may never regain consciousness, according to her Good Morning Britain colleague Piers Morgan 

Draper, 53, was hospitalised in March 2020 after contracting Covid-19 and was placed in a medically-induced coma.

While Draper is now coronavirus-free, the disease has left him with a hole in his heart, diabetic and in need of kidney dialysis after complications with his pancreas.

Until recently, the psychotherapist and author had not been able to communicate except to mouth the word "pain" after regaining minimal consciousness in July. 

On Tuesday’s edition of Good Morning Britain, Morgan told viewers about the latest update to Draper's condition, saying: "Ask enough people and you'll find somebody [who has been affected by the virus]. We know from our colleague Kate Garraway, whose husband is still in a coma from Covid.

“He may never come out of that coma. She's been told this, and it's heartbreaking.”

He added: “We’ve got to take it seriously and we’ve got to get vaccinated as fast as possible. That’s the only way through this.”

Draper with children Darcey and Billy in 2019 (KateGarraway/Instagram)

Garraway has spoken openly about her husband’s battle with coronavirus, revealing last week that Draper - who remains the country’s longest-fighting coronavirus patient - was still “ravaged by the effects of Covid.”

The TV presenter said: "His recovery incredibly uncertain, I’m trying to look for new ways and talking to doctors about what we can do for him.

"Meanwhile, people are still dying in extraordinary numbers, people that aren’t older and haven’t got underlying issues and it is just unbearable."

In January, Garraway also revealed that the couple’s children  - Darcey, 14, and son Billy, 11 -  saw their father for the first time since March 2020 over Christmas.

She added: "I have been living at the end of the phone 24/7, waiting for news of Derek. But the doctors have warned that his condition could persist for years so I have to get on with life whilst we are waiting for him to get better.

“My priority is to make the children feel safe, not to let them see me feeling vulnerable in the world where Derek was my rock.”