She used the money to pay “late bills”
Kate Garraway said she had to withdraw funds from her pension to pay for her late husband Derek Draper's medical bills.
The news anchor revealed the news during a debate on Good Morning Britain on Monday about patients turning to private healthcare because of NHS waiting lists.
More than one in five people using private healthcare have become deeply in debt as a result, new figures have found.
Earlier this year, Garraway revealed she was in debt of between £500,000 and £800,000 due to paying for her late husband Derek's care.
The former political lobbyist died in January at the age of 56 after a long battle with serious health issues stemming from the coronavirus.
After contracting the virus in March 2020, he was in a coma for 100 days and required round-the-clock care until his death.
During the GMB discussion, Garraway admitted she was using part of her pension to pay “belated bills”.
After responding to the findings and hearing about the experiences of the show's guests, Garraway said: “I'm doing something similar myself.
“I had to withdraw the tax-free portion of my pension to pay my husband’s late bills, who have now passed away.
“People have to do something – first of all it's not a huge pension – that's not what they're saving for.”
Speaking to The Sun earlier this year about the cost of caring for her late husband, Garroway said: “It's been difficult financially, of course.
“Anyone who has had a loved one become seriously ill knows that in many ways, costs can skyrocket.
“You have to make changes to your home that impact your ability to work.
“When Derek first got sick I had to take a long break and of course that affected the family’s overall income because he could no longer work.
“We had to close the business we were doing together, and I had to hire an assistant so I could focus on Derek when I wasn't on air.”
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