“I am ashamed”: Kate Garraway cashes in pension to help pay debt after the death of her husband Derek Draper

Kate, 57, has previously opened up about how she 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 this week, the mum of two has now 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 the TV presenter 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.

In response, Kate 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.”

Kate’s husband Derek, a former pupil of Southlands High School and Runshaw College, passed away in January after suffering long-lasting symptoms from coronavirus.

The former lobbyist and political adviser was first diagnosed with covid back in March 2020 but spent the next four years battling with the disease’s long term affects, finding himself in and out of hopsital and bedridden. In the documentary Kate Garraway: Derek's Story, Kate said: “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.”

Kate’s pension revelation came just days after she celebrated her first birthday without her late husband.

She took to Instagram on Monday to shared a video herself enjoying a garden lunch with friends and family over the bank holiday weekend.

In the caption, Kate wrote: “Well yesterday was another one of those sad 1st’s - my first birthday 🎂 since Derek’s passing. Woke up feeling so sad & thought well I can either cry all day or celebrate life as he did so well. And thanks to wonderful friends it worked!”