Kate Garraway’s absence from Good Morning Britain and her regular Smooth Radio slot left some fans concerned this week.
Fortunately, her GMB colleagues cleared things up during Friday’s live show.
During a discussion about Kate being included on The Independent’s list of influential women for International Women’s Day, Charlotte Hawkins explained: “She would be here today but she’s lost her voice. She’s all well but she can’t speak.”
“She’s lost her voice, she’s been too influential in the past year,” her co-host Adil Ray joked. “Be less influential Kate and get better soon.”
Last month, Kate returned to the GMB studio after a short break following the death of her husband Derek Draper.
Derek contracted Covid in the early stages of the pandemic back in March 2020, resulting in a year-long stint in hospital and life-altering damage caused by the disease.
Throughout Derek’s illness, Kate spoke candidly about his condition and its affect on her family life, most notably in two documentaries, Finding Derek and Caring For Derek, both of which earned widespread praise and wins at the National Television Awards.
Derek died in January at the age of 56, with Kate stating at the time: “Derek was surrounded by his family in his final days and I was by his side holding his hand throughout the last long hours and when he passed.
“I have so much more to say, and of course I will do so in due course, but for now I just want to thank all the medical teams who fought so hard to save him and to make his final moments as comfortable and dignified as possible.”
Good Morning Britain airs every weekday from 6am on ITV1.