Kate Garraway says husband Derek Draper has been "watching" Good Morning Britain from his hospital bed

The 52-year-old was admitted to hospital in March after being diagnosed with coronavirus, and remains seriously ill after being brought out of an induced coma last month.

Garraway returned to Good Morning Britain last week after taking time off while her husband was in intensive care and had told viewers that nurses planned to put the show on for him to try to stimulate a response.

Speaking during this morning's programme (July 21), Garraway said: “He is stable and actually yesterday I spoke to the nurses and they said they had put Good Morning Britain on and they felt he looked, because his eyes are open, he looked focused. He looked focused and engaged on it."

The 53-year-old presenter then joked with co-host Ben Shephard: "They didn’t say whether it was me or you”, and admitted she found the news "very emotional”.

She said: "We don’t know whether it’s the movement of the light, or whether it’s the familiar voice. So, good morning, Derek, if you are watching.

"We’re all sending you lots of love, everyone here is sending you lots of love."

She added: "So there you go, your own personal Good Morning Britain."

Garraway said Draper, the father of her two children - Darcey, 14, and 10-year-old Billy - had endured a “tough week” following “big falls” in his blood pressure and swelling in his legs.

Last month, the presenter said she had been warned by doctors that her husband may never fully recover from his battle with coronavirus.

Derek, 52, attended Southlands High School in Chorley, where he graduated in 1984, before studying at Runshaw College in Leyland.