Kate Garraway forced to take drastic action to pay bills after Derek Draper's death

Kate Garraway, the Good Morning Britain host, has disclosed that she's had to dip into her pension pot to settle "belated bills" following the death of her husband Derek Draper. The 57-year-old presenter returned to our screens this week and engaged in a heartfelt discussion with guest Lindy Kirk about her own health struggles which led her to pay thousands out of pocket.

Lindy found herself in unbearable pain and wheelchair-bound when she was informed she'd have to wait 18 months for a potentially life-changing operation, leading her to shell out £15,000 for private treatment - a predicament Kate Garraway could relate to.

"You need every penny of that pension", she commented, before revealing: "I'm doing something similar myself." The mother-of-two then revealed that she's had to withdraw from her pension to cover her late husband's medical expenses.

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Kate said: "I've just had to withdraw the bit you can tax-free from my pension to pay belated bills for my husband, who has now passed away." Turning to Dr Amir Khan, who was also present in the studio, she added: "People are having to do the things which aren't what they saved for and some people don't have any savings at all," reports Lancs Live.

Kate has been open about her financial difficulties, which intensified during her husband Derek's prolonged battle with Covid-19. Derek succumbed to the virus earlier this year at the age of 56, leaving Kate to face the staggering costs of his medical care, which reached a staggering £16,000 a month for necessary treatments and mobility therapy.

While speaking candidly about her financial woes on ITV's morning programme, Kate admitted to feeling "ashamed" despite her lucrative career, as she struggled to keep her household finances in check. "I am ashamed of the fact that I am in debt," she said.

Kate initially shared the reality of the challenge in the documentary Kate Garraway: Derek's Story, which chronicled the last year of Derek's life and was broadcast in March. She revealed the stark reality: "because I have an incredible job that I love, that's very well paid."

She went on to compare her situation to those who provide care for others for little compensation: "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 first brought attention to the severity of her situation in the documentary 'Kate Garraway: Derek's Story', which aired in March and documented the final year of Derek's life. She laid bare the harsh truth: "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".

She ended with a frank confession about her circumstances: "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."

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