Kate Garraway "ashamed" as Good Morning Britain host plunders pension for husband Derek Draper's medical bills

ITV host Kate Garraway says she feels “ashamed” by her financial situation after the death of her husband Derek Draper. The presenter has been left in debt after her late husband’s medical bills totalled £16,000 per month for basic care and mobility support.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain yesterday (May 7) Garraway revealed that even with her TV presenter salary, she has had to take emergency action to help pay off her debt. It came as guest Lindy Kirk told Garraway, 57, about how she was confined to a wheelchair and told to wait 18 months for treatment due to health complications, resorting to going private and paying £15,000 for treatment.

Garraway said: “You need every penny of that pension. I'm doing something similar myself. I've just had to withdraw the bit you can tax-free for my pension to pay belated bills for my husband that passed away.

“People are having to do the things which aren't what they saved for and some people don't have any savings at all. I am ashamed of the fact that I am in debt because I have an incredible job that I love, that's very well paid. I’m not a carer travelling miles, paying their own transport to go and help somebody for minimum wage. I’m somebody that is very well paid and so I just feel a shame that I couldn’t make it work.”

In the documentary Kate Garraway: Derek's Story, she added: “Derek's care costs more than my salary from ITV and that is before you pay for a mortgage, before you pay any household bills, before you pay for anything for the kids, so we are at a crunch point.

“I am in debt. I can't earn enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek's care and I can't even use the money I do have to support Derek's recovery because it's going on the basics all the time.”