KATE Garraway and husband Derek Draper has suffered a fresh blow with the business they run together going “bust”.
The Good Morning Britain presenter, who recently revealed she’s worried she’ll eventually run out of money to pay for Derek’s round-the-clock care, has faced another “tough dilemma”.
Kate, 54, was reportedly determined to save Derek’s psychotherapy company, Astra Aspera Limited after his body was ravaged by Covid.
But the Life Stories host has lost her battle and will announce this week that the “firm is to fold”, according to the MailOnline.
A friend told the publication: “Astra Aspera was primarily Derek’s company, he was the director. Kate was made director last February so that she could attempt to keep it going.
“Kate has done her very best to do that while Derek has been incredibly ill. However, he has been unable to work, his revenue has stopped entirely and is unlikely to return in the near future.
“Kate has other jobs on GMB and Smooth Radio, but with her massively increased costs it wasn’t possible to keep the company going, so has to be folded.”
It comes after Kate recently opened up about money worries on an appearance on This Morning to talk about her recent documentary, Caring for Derek.
Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, Kate praised the full-time carers who are helping her with Derek’s needs.
Holly said: “That’s what what really struck me about it is the amount of care he needs. Like this is around the clock isn’t it?”
Kate replied: “Yeah and because of his extreme health needs, he does have 24 hour care so somebody has to be awake at night and somebody has to be awake during the day and I can’t be awake 24 hours so it’s fantastic to have that.”
Phil then referenced Kate and Derek’s trip to Mexico to see a specialist doctor, and she continued: “That came at a really low point when I thought, ‘oh god, this is not sustainable’.
“The system, I mean I don’t believe we can have 24 hour care forever, you know there’s a point where money runs out!
“It’s a big moment, I was thinking, ‘this isn’t sustainable’ and if there isn’t the structure there to help long term, what are we actually going to do? Because we can’t give up on him.”
Following his time in hospital – during which he was placed into an induced coma – Derek is still very ill after suffering organ failure and clots on his lung.
But Kate is yet to have an agreed diagnosis on precisely what Covid did to Derek’s brain and body because experts still don’t fully understand the long-term effects of the virus.
He may never be able to walk again because the tendons and muscles in his legs have seized up from having been in an induced coma for so long.
