DEREK'S STORY
‘It’s pathetic’ sobs Derek Draper as he battles to stand in harrowing therapy session during covid battle
Derek filmed the documentary with his wife Kate before he passed away earlier this year aged 56.
DEREK Draper breaks down in tears as he attempts to stand up unaided for the first time in harrowing footage in his final documentary, Derek’s Story.
The former political advisor, who passed away in January aged 56, required round-the-clock help from care workers, as well as physio and speech therapists, as part of his recovery from Covid.
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He became one of the most severely affected Covid-19 patients back in 2020 when, after being put into a coma for 98 days, was left suffering from a number of ongoing, life-threatening conditions.
The final year of his life was captured in the documentary, which airs tomorrow night at 9pm on ITV, including the testing sessions that helped Derek regain limited movement in his body.
Joined by his mobility therapist Cornel, Derek is seen trying to get up out of a chair with the help of a walking frame.
“One, two, three and push - I’m not helping you much,” Cornel encourages Derek. “I don’t want to help you too much, I don’t want to pull you up off the seat.”
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But after Derek as he makes the first attempt at standing, he falls back into the chair and begins to wail.
His wife Kate, 56, comforts him: “It’s OK, darling - it is OK, I promise.”
Derek responds: “It’s pathetic.”
Kate continues: “It’s not pathetic, it isn’t pathetic. You are absolutely trying.”
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Derek attempts to stand two further times, as Kate adds more encouragement: “You can take a breath, but keep going. You’re there. Well done! Keep going.”
But he fails to make the move, leaving him upset.
Emotional first look at Kate Garraway's new Derek Draper documentary as GMB star asks heartbreaking question
Kate later tells the cameras: “I want Derek to have less care, but in order for Derek to get to that point, you need support - but there is currently no national budget for care.
“Derek's care costs more than my salary for my TV, and that's before you've paid for a mortgage, before you've paid for any household bills, before you've paid for kids - so, we are at a crunch point.
“I am in debt and I can't earn enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek's care.
“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.
“I'm not going to pretend by the way that I am poorly paid, I have an incredible job that I love that is well paid, but it's not enough.
“Time and time again, the system keeps telling us that Derek isn't sick enough, and doesn't have enough of a health need to have funded care. I've appealed, but that still hasn't been processed years later.
“Derek’s care, the basic needs and not including any therapy which I pay for on top, is nearly £4,000 a week - and how can anyone afford £16,000 a month?
Elsewhere in the documentary, Kate opens up on her heartbreak at Derek not being able to show her how much he loved her in emotional scenes.
She says: “I accepted that I am going to have to care for him forever, that is our role, but how that translates into the relationship is a work in progress.
“Sometimes, you show love with a big bunch of flowers, and other times its bringing a cup of tea at the right moment - but he can't do any of these things, so he's trying to work out how he can love me.
“I know he loves me, but how does he show that? So I'm trying to work out if I feel loved by him, I know I am loved, but we have a whole journey to go on."
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Derek is seen whispering “I love you” to his wife as she sits at his bedside.
Kate Garraway: Derek's Story airs Tuesday at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX and STV.
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