Kate Garraway's husband Derek set to meet his parents for first time in a year

Kate Garraway' s husband Derek Draper is preparing to meet his parents for the first time in over a year.  Derek returned to his North London home this week after he had spent over a year in intensive care with coronavirus.  Due to strict covid-19 restrictions, Derek, 53, was unable to see his elderly parents while he was in hospital for 12 and a half months.  Derek’s mum and dad have kept in regular contact with their grandchildren Darcey, 15, and Billy, 11 on FaceTime but hope to see all of their family in person very soon.  It is understood that Derek’s parents have received their vaccination and hope to see Derek imminently, according to reports.  Speaking to the Sun, a source said: "Poor Derek has had barely any human interaction over the past 12 months - the only real physical contact he’s had is with doctors and nurses.  "His folks live in Lancashire and have suffered terribly throughout his illness."  The source added: "Kate has been absolutely brilliant since his return - as she has throughout his entire battle with Covid - and has been in touch with them constantly on the phone and over FaceTime."  On Friday’s episode of Good Morning Britain, Kate confirmed the good news that Derek had returned home from hospital.  The father of two will now receive round-the-clock care as he continues to battle the effects of coronavirus.  Derek who is a qualified psychologist is now responding well and has been taken off all machines and breathing apparatus.  Doctors and health professionals have said that Derek was universally affected by the horrible virus which meant his major organs such as his lungs, heart, kidneys, liver and pancreas had all been hit by Covid.  The Sun recently revealed that although Kate continued to work throughout her husband’s illness the former I’m A Celebrity contestant has spent thousands of pounds converting their London home to ensure it is safe and medically adequate for her husband's return.  Since then, the family have converted their lounge into Derek’s bedroom, the sun reports.  Kate expressed her evident excitement to Derek’s return home when she chatted to Ben Shephard and Ranvir Singh on the ITV breakfast show.  The presenter said: "We’ve got to stay positive and have hope. We’ll get there. He’s here!"  Viewers rushed to their keyboards to share supportive messages for Kate following the news that Derek is now recovering at home.  Taking to Twitter, one fan penned: "Delighted to hear Derek Draper is to continue his recovery at home. Haven’t stopped thinking about him and his family all year."  Another added: "Very happy to hear that Kate’s husband is coming back home. All the best to her and her family."