Kate Garraway has announced that she is returning to her radio slot at Smooth Radio for the sweetest reason.
The presenter had taken a break from the show to spend time with her children and husband Derek, who has been in ICU since March after contracting the coronavirus.
Although Derek is technically free from the coronavirus, the illness wreaked havoc on his body – and doctors have told Kate that he may “never recover”.
On Sunday, Kate revealed she would be going back to her radio show so that Derek “can hear my voice as well as many of the songs we both love”.
She said: “I’m delighted to be returning to my morning show on Smooth and to my Global family who have been a big support to me.
“Things are still hugely challenging and a long way from being normal, but I’d like to think that this will give Derek yet another opportunity to hear my voice as well as many of the songs we both love.
“My heartfelt thanks go to Myleene Klass who has been brilliantly caretaking the show for me and to all my regular listeners for their messages of support.
“I can’t imagine there’s a more relaxing job to return to and I’m really looking forward to getting back into the studio.”
Smooth’s Managing Editor Sally Ardis said: “We couldn’t be happier to welcome Kate back to her regular morning show on Smooth.
“She has been missed by the whole team here, as well as by listeners, who have been keeping in touch with her to show their support.
“Kate is an integral part of the Smooth family and whilst Myleene has done the most amazing job looking after Kate’s show, we have all had Kate, Derek and their family at the forefront of our minds during this terrible situation.”
Kate recently spoke about her “constant sadness” surrounding her husband’s health, telling YOU Magazine: “Every issue I’m dealing with I automatically think, ‘Oh, I’ll check with Derek’ and then realise I can’t.
“There’s always this sadness. That and the heartbreak are the most wearing things. I see him quite infrequently, not as often as I’d wish,” she added.
“I’m always thinking how would Derek help Billy; he was so brilliant at all of that,” she said of the couple’s 11-year-old son Billy.
“I imagine all the conversations he’d be having with Derek – it’s heartbreaking to think they may never be having them again.”
“If someone said to you, ‘This is just a short-term period, you are going to get through it, then everything will get back to normal,’ you’d have such a burst of energy.
“But it’s the same for anyone living with a loved one with Covid – it’s all an unknown. It grinds you down.
“What I have to accept is I’m a de-facto single mum for now when I’ve always said I don’t know how single mums do it.”
Kate will be back on the airwaves at Smooth radio from 10am-1pm every day this week.
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