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Business

Apple and Google’s New AI Wizardry Promises Privacy—at a Cost

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Since the dawn of the iPhone, many of the smarts in smartphones have come from elsewhere: the corporate computers known as the cloud. Mobile apps sent user data cloudward for useful tasks like transcribing speech or suggesting message replies. Now Apple and Google say smartphones are smart enough to do some crucial and sensitive machine learning tasks like those on their own.

At Apple’s WWDC event this month, the company said its virtual assistant Siri will transcribe speech without tapping the cloud in some languages on recent and future iPhones and iPads. During its own I/O developer event last month, Google said the latest version of its Android operating system has a feature dedicated to secure, on-device processing of sensitive data, called the Private Compute Core. Its initial uses include powering the company’s Smart Reply feature that suggests responses to incoming emails and messages.

Apple and Google both say on-device machine learning offers more privacy and snappier apps. Not transmitting personal data cuts the risk of exposure and saves time spent waiting for data to traverse the internet. At the same time, keeping data on devices aligns with the tech giants’ long-term interest in keeping consumers bound into their ecosystems. People that hear their data can be processed more privately might become more willing to agree to share more data.

The companies’ recent promotion of on-device machine learning comes after years of work on technology to constrain the data their clouds can “see.”

In 2014, Google started gathering some data on Chrome browser usage through a technique called differential privacy, which adds noise to harvested data in ways that restrict what those samples reveal about individuals. Apple has used the technique on data gathered from phones to inform emoji and typing predictions and for web browsing data.

More recently, both companies have adopted a technology called federated learning. It allows a cloud-based machine learning system to be updated without scooping in raw data; instead, individual devices process data locally and share only digested updates. As with differential privacy, the companies have discussed using federated learning only in limited cases. Google has used the technique to keep its mobile typing predictions up to date with language trends; Apple has published research on using it to update speech recognition models.

Rachel Cummings, an assistant professor at Columbia who has previously consulted on privacy for Apple, says the rapid shift to do some machine learning on phones has been striking. “It’s incredibly rare to see something going from the first conception to being deployed at scale in so few years,” she says.

That progress has required not just advances in computer science but for companies to take on the practical challenges of processing data on devices owned by consumers. Google has said that its federated learning system only taps users’ devices when they are plugged in, idle, and on a free internet connection. The technique was enabled in part by improvements in the power of mobile processors.

Beefier mobile hardware also contributed to Google’s 2019 announcement that voice recognition for its virtual assistant on Pixel devices would be wholly on-device, free from the crutch of the cloud. Apple’s new on-device voice recognition for Siri, announced at WWDC this month, will use the “neural engine” the company added to its mobile processors to power up machine learning algorithms.

The technical feats are impressive. It’s debatable how much they will meaningfully change users’ relationship with tech giants.

Presenters at Apple’s WWDC said Siri’s new design was a “major update to privacy” that addressed the risk associated with accidentally transmitting audio to the cloud, saying that was users’ largest privacy concern about voice assistants. Some Siri commands—such as setting timers—can be recognized wholly locally, making for a speedy response. Yet in many cases transcribed commands to Siri—presumably including from accidental recordings—will be sent to Apple servers for software to decode and respond. Siri voice transcription will still be cloud-based for HomePod smart speakers commonly installed in bedrooms and kitchens, where accidental recording can be more concerning.

Google also promotes on-device data processing as a privacy win and has signaled it will expand the practice. The company expects partners such as Samsung that use its Android operating system to adopt the new Privacy Compute Core and use it for features that rely on sensitive data.

Google has also made local analysis of browsing data a feature of its proposal for reinventing online ad targeting, dubbed FLoC and claimed to be more private. Academics and some rival tech companies have said the design is likely to help Google consolidate its dominance of online ads by making targeting more difficult for other companies.

Author: Tom Simonite
This post originally appeared on Business Latest

Technology

Has Dyson met its match? New cordless Halo Capsule promises the power of a wired vacuum

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Has Dyson met its match? New cordless Halo Capsule promises the power of a wired vacuum
The competition for the best cordless vacuum cleaner is heating up. Following the launch of the Lupe Pure Cordless, which was designed by a pair of ex-Dyson engineers, and a new laser-guided model from the behemoth vacuum brand they used to work for, Halo Capsule, a new player on the market, has arrived with some pretty lofty claims.
Like the Lupe Pure Cordless before it, the Halo Capsule promises to offer the convince of a cordless design… without skimping on the power or capacity that you’ve previously only been able to achieve with an old-fashioned wired model.

According to Capsule, which has design and development teams in the UK’s Motorsport Valley, its new Halo vacuum cleaner has almost five-times the capacity of other cordless vacuums. In total, you’ll have 1.6 litres to fill with dust, grim and other nasties before you need to kill the motor and empty the vacuum into the bin. For comparison, the laser-guided Dyson V15 only has a 0.76-litre capacity, although Dyson does sell a specific Dyson V11 Outsize to cater to those who want as few journeys to the bin as possible during a deep-clean. The latter has a 1.7-litre bin. Lupe Pure Cordless has a 1-litre bin.

Until now, most brands have limited the size of the dust bin to keep the overall size of the cordless vacuum down and to ensure it’s not too heavy to lug around your home cleaning. Halo Capsule hopes to avoid all of that by using with carbon fibre for the body.

Tipping the scales at 2.6kg, the new model is lighter than you’ll get with the latest-and-greatest from Dyson (the V15 Detect Absolute weighs-in at 3kg) and Lupe Pure Cordless (a hefty 4.6kg). You’d be forgiven for thinking that lightweight design (and enormous dust bin) would mean that Halo Capsule has had to make some compromises on grunt from the motor.

However, Capsule doesn’t seem to think that’s the case. The British company has made some lofty claims about the power of its digital motor. According to Capsule, the Halo a run time of up to 60 mins, enough to leave “both carpets and hard floor surfaces spotlessly clean”.

Halo Capsule also uses paper dust pouches to lock away the dirt and provides an excellent level of filtration through its highly efficient filters, which filters around 99.95 percent of particles down to 0.5 microns. According to the firm, the dust pouches allow for conveniently clean disposal of dirt, so your days of getting covered in dust when emptying your vacuum are gone. Better yet, Halo Capsule dust pouches are made of natural materials and compostable, so you can keep clean whilst staying green.

With a price tag of £370.95, the Halo Capsule is more affordable than both the Dyson and Lupe Pure Cordless.

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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Tech Feed

Business

Live Audio Apps Lure Creators With Money and Promises

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Live Audio Apps Lure Creators With Money and Promises

When Twitter launched Spaces, its live audio feature, Reesha Howard couldn’t wait to start broadcasting. She already had a YouTube channel, so she was used to sharing her personality online, but Spaces offered up a new way to flex her voice. She DM’d the rapper Soulja Boy; did he want to do an interview in her Space? Shockingly, he said yes. Then she hosted a game show for The Game. She spoke to Charlese Antoinette, the costume designer for Judas and the Black Messiah, just days before Antoinette won an Oscar. “I consider myself to be the official queen of Twitter Spaces,” says Howard. Not bad for someone who had only 87 Twitter followers a few months ago. Now, thanks to her listeners, she has about 4,000.

Decades ago, if you heard someone’s voice live on the internet, it often meant an online radio broadcast. Then podcasting came on the scene, and everyone with a mic and a laptop could upload their conversations to the web. Now the rise of live audio apps, led by Clubhouse’s breakout success last summer, is reshaping the landscape once again, the same way social media disrupted the blogosphere years ago: Anyone with a smartphone has the tools and the platform to reach millions of ears. With that shift comes opportunity, both for upstart startups hoping to reshuffle Silicon Valley’s pecking order and for digital content creators hoping to make their mark in the format du jour.

Creators, in particular, are having a moment. After years of fighting to be taken seriously, they are finally being recognized—and paid—by Silicon Valley companies for their work and influence. There are more companies that revolve specifically around supporting creator economies, from writers on Substack to adult performers on OnlyFans to C-list celebs on Cameo. Bigger companies are now investing more heavily in creators, too, recognizing their role in the corporate bottom line. A platform is only as good as its content, and that content comes down to the people creating it.

The leading live audio apps have all announced or released features for creators in recent weeks. Twitter added a tip jar and is experimenting with ticketed live events on Spaces. Discord opened up an event “stage” last month, which looks similar to Clubhouse, and will also offer new ways for broadcasters to charge money for their events. It’s also building in better discovery features to help Discord users find live events. Facebook has started an audio creator’s fund to seed its Live Audio Rooms, launching later this summer. And Clubhouse has begun paying some creators $ 5,000 monthly stipends to host original shows as part of its Creator First accelerator.

While Clubhouse has its fair share of influencers already, its new program focuses on financing more up-and-coming talent. Beyond the monthly stipend, Creator First will offer others resources and promotion opportunities for creators of Clubhouse-specific content. It’s the kind of support, especially early on, that could help people earn a living on the app—and that in turn could earn the year-old startup their loyalty. “Being on the app has been a huge opportunity for small creators,” says Amanda Dishman, who hosts a Clubhouse room called The Salty Vagabonds Club, all about alternative living arrangements. Dishman, for example, regales audiences with stories of living on a boat. Clubhouse named the show as a finalist for the Creator First accelerator earlier this month. “I have not tried any other audio apps yet, and for now I’m OK with that,” she says.

Clubhouse will need that kind of loyalty to survive. The platform is widely credited with launching the recent audio boom, but its user growth is dwindling: The app had 922,000 downloads in April, compared to 9.6 million in February, according to Sensor Tower. (It might see a boost this month, now that it finally has an Android app.) Many of its users also have accounts on other platforms. The analytics firm App Annie found that 77 percent of Clubhouse’s iPhone users also use Facebook, and 60 percent also use Twitter. Clubhouse needs to prove that its content merits incorporating an entire new platform into your digital routine. It’s a hurdle that other, established apps don’t face as they venture into live audio—a group that includes not just Twitter and Facebook but also Reddit, Spotify, and LinkedIn.

Author: Arielle Pardes
This post originally appeared on Business Latest

Gaming

Harvest Moon: One World Update Promises Longer Days And More Time With Your Animals

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Harvest Moon: One World

If you’ve been enjoying Harvest Moon: One World on Nintendo Switch, you’ll be pleased to know that Natsume has dropped a new update addressing a couple of quality of life issues raised by player feedback.

The patch, available to download as we speak, focuses on the length of your in-game days and the lifespan of your animal buddies. Essentially, in-game time now passes more slowly, giving you more time to farm, mine, and adventure before having to pack up for the day, while your animals and pets have been upgraded to enjoy longer lifespans, meaning you can enjoy their company for longer than ever before.

If you haven’t checked the game out yet, make sure to read our full review to learn all about it and see whether or not it might be for you. We’ll also leave you with this handy feature list:

– Explore 5 unique and colorful areas: the sprawling grasslands of Calisson, the gorgeous beaches of Halo Halo, the searing desert heat of Pastilla, the cozy hills of Lebkuchen, and the snowy mountains of Salmiakki!
– Play as a boy or a girl and woo one of 5 handsome bachelors and 5 beautiful bachelorettes, each with their own unique personality and backstory!
– Raise and keep animals such as cows, sheep, goats, and even reindeer!
– Use your Expando-Farm to easily travel from one area to another!

Are you liking the sound of these new changes? Let us know in the comments.

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This post originally appeared on Nintendo Life | Latest News

Sports

Anthony Joshua ‘doesn't give a sh*t’ about Tyson Fury deadline, promises to ‘kick his a**’ as potential super-fight draws nearer

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Anthony Joshua ‘doesn't give a sh*t’ about Tyson Fury deadline, promises to ‘kick his a**’ as potential super-fight draws nearer

Anthony Joshua says that he has had enough of Tyson Fury’s social media grandstanding surrounding their potential fight this summer, as the biggest heavyweight showdown in a generation looks to have moved a step closer.

Fury, holder of the WBC iteration of boxing’s heavyweight crown, has raised the temperature in the talks to secure to blockbuster fight, taking to social media on numerous occasions in recent days to pile the pressure of Joshua and his representatives to secure the deal which had initially been agreed by all sides in a bout agreement one month ago yesterday.
Also on rt.com ‘One day left’: Tyson Fury fires warning as Anthony Joshua promises to ‘share positive news soon’ about boxing megafight
However, the deal has hit some bumps in the road – principally surrounding the location of the fight – as organizers continue to invite bids from various markets to host the blockbluster showdown, reportedly receiving interest from the United States, Saudi Arabia, China, Qatar, Singapore and the United Kingdom. 

And amid Fury’s haranguing online, Joshua has slammed his potential opponent for having the wrong “mindset” in arranging the heavyweight title unification fight.

“I don’t think that’s the right mindset to have. I would wait until the end of the year if I had to,” said Joshua to Pep Talk TV.

“It’s the fight we both want, it’s the fight the world wants, the promoters and the TV networks, so putting a time limit isn’t right. If people are clearly working on something and they need a little extra time, you want the job done right then you sit tight for a little bit.

“As long as things are getting done I will wait til next Tuesday or the Tuesday after. I know I want it and so does he, maybe he just got his words mixed up.

“With every week that passes I am a week better, a week stronger and a week wiser and a week closer to the day when I kick Tyson Fury’s ass.

“I don’t know what Fury is doing and I don’t give a sh*t either, all I know is what I am doing and I am coming.”

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, meanwhile, says that there has been a breakthrough with regard to the host city of the heavyweight superfight and he is inching closer to releasing concrete information as to where and when the two will trade leather in the first of their two scheduled showdowns.

“Both sides have approved the site offer that they want to go with, and now we’re just finalizing the site deal and we’re in a great place,” Hearn explained to Behind the Gloves.

“I saw Tyson yesterday. I just messaged him and said, ‘I’m in Vegas, I’m in your hotel if you fancy a cuppa’. We just had five or 10 minutes together and it was good, because I don’t represent Tyson Fury, so I don’t know what is in his mind. What he basically cemented in my mind was, this is the only fight he wants, and I know that’s the same with AJ.

“It just good to say, right we’ve got the offer, we all approve. We’re moving forward now. We’re good.”

Hearn, though, like Fury, is keen to move past the negotiation stage as soon as possible and allow both fighters to begin their preparations with an end date in mind – but cautioned that deal must be agreed soon, and that he doesn’t want the fight to be delayed longer than it needs to be.
Also on rt.com ‘I’ll be victorious’: Anthony Joshua contradicts Tyson Fury claim over boxing megafight and warns rival he has ‘no place to hide’
“There is no option for this fight to go at the back end of the year, and I’ve made that clear,” he said. “The hardest thing about securing the site is in this world we live in today, most people would like to kick it to November, December. That’s not available. It was never available.

“What was available was a summer fight for the undisputed world heavyweight championship. That is what you’re going to get. Both guys want two fights this year. One will be in the summer and one will be in December.”

The winner of the proposed summer fight will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since in more than two decades, after another British fighter – Lennox Lewis – last achieved the same feat between 1999 and 2000. 

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This article originally appeared on RT Sport News

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Sports

‘One day left’: Tyson Fury fires warning as Anthony Joshua promises to ‘share positive news soon’ about boxing megafight

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‘One day left’: Tyson Fury fires warning as Anthony Joshua promises to ‘share positive news soon’ about boxing megafight

Tyson Fury has warned that there is just one day remaining to secure a location for the proposed July heavyweight title unification fight against Anthony Joshua, with the ‘Gypsy King’ hinting he could walk away from the deal.

Last summer, a giddy, shirtless Tyson Fury announced in an Instagram video that his advisor, alleged Irish mobster Daniel Kinahan, had helped secure a deal for two gargantuan showdowns between the two battling Brits – before several promotional and broadcasting bumps in the road threatened to scupper the fight.

Around a month ago, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn again raised hopes that the fight can be arranged when he announced both Joshua and Fury had signed contracts ahead of a July fight – but what wasn’t quite so loudly expressed by the Matchroom Boxing chief was that the contracts reportedly hold an expiry date, which Fury says is fast approaching.

Fury took to social media once again on Friday to sound the alarm ahead of the possible crumbling of a superfight, writing that there is “one day left” for the terms to be agreed as they relate to the most recent contract between the two boxers.

It is thought that the hold-up is is largely down to a location for the fight not yet being agreed, despite interest being reported from the Middle East. 

And, boxing being boxing, it is also assumed that there are more than a few wrinkles with regard to broadcasting rights and any number of the other variables which go into an equation of this magnitude.

But just minutes after Fury took to Twitter to express his frustration, Joshua also went online to provide fans with a “quick update“.

“Quick update,” he wrote. “Myself, @258mgt & @MatchroomBoxing are working really hard to make the fight happen. I want to give my fans what they want & you know I’ll do whatever I can to deliver. Hoping to share some positive news soon.”

The timing of Joshua’s tweet was interesting, given that it came roughly an hour after Fury’s and has prompted questions as to which side is more responsible for the negotiations apparently grinding to a halt.

If and when the two fighters do step into a ring, however, some fans are saying that Joshua, and his promoter Eddie Hearn, might quickly regret it.

“AJ won’t agree. He and Hearn lose everything after the fight,” one fan suggested, while another wrote that Joshua’s only path to victory is if he lands a “lucky shot“.

Another, though, was a tad more conspiratorial.

“Something isn’t adding up here,” they said. “One side clearly don’t want it.”
Also on rt.com ‘The deal could go away’: Questions raised about Fury-Joshua mega-fight as insider reveals contracts could EXPIRE in 30 days

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Life Style

New Amazon Fire TV Stick service promises to be the last app you’ll ever need

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New Amazon Fire TV Stick service promises to be the last app you’ll ever need
Chances are, you’re signed up to a few streaming and catch-up services on your Fire TV Stick. Between Prime Video, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, All4, Disney+, BritBox, Shudder, StarzPlay, the list goes on… there’s no shortage of new shows and movies to watch. If anything, the biggest problem is sorting through the endless lists of film titles and boxsets to find one that you actually want to spend your weekend bingeing.
That’s where ScreenHits comes in. The app, which has just launched on Amazon’s Fire TV platform, brings together some of your favourite streaming services into a single interface. Not only does that mean you won’t have to keep jumping between different apps, but it should stop you accidentally paying to rent a film that’s actually included in one of your streaming services’ catalogues.

Available as a desktop app since its launch back in 2012, ScreenHits is now available on one of the biggest streaming platforms around – Amazon’s Fire TV. Versions of the app for Smart TVs, like those from LG and Vizio, are also on the way, the service has promised.

The newly-launched ScreenHits TV app allows subscribers to integrate their existing streaming platforms, such as Amazon Prime, Disney+, StarzPlay, Moviesphere, Paramount Plus, Britbox, MUBI, ITV Hub and BFI Player to name a few. Users will also be able to watch thousands of shows and films from one, easy to manage app. A personalised TV Guide offers a snapshot of the latest show choices across all your streaming services.

ScreenHits also offers AI-based recommendations based on your viewing habits. That’s pretty standard for all streaming services at this point, however, according to ScreenHits, what makes its recommendations better than those found within Netflix or Disney+ is that it can learn from all of your viewing. So, while Disney+ can only recommend shows based on what you’ve watched within Disney+, ScreenHits can track your habits across Prime, StarzPlay and ITV Hub to suggest the perfect film to fit all of your interests.

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And if you want to organise a movie night with friends while lockdown restrictions remain in place, ScreenHits provides access to a “Watch Together” feature that lets you schedule dates with chums to watch shows together remotely from anywhere in the world and simultaneously live video chat via the app.

Because all of your streaming needs are bundled into a single app, ScreenHits TV is able to offer one PIN code that’ll block younger viewers from switching between their parents accounts to other streaming services they may have integrated into ScreenHits TV – thus only showing them content available to children.

ScreenHits offers exclusive discounts for those who bundle together their subscriptions within the app. For example, subscribing to both Amazon Prime and Paramount Plus from within the ScreenHits app on Fire TV will result in a 25 percent discount each month.

CEO of ScreenHits TV, Rose Adkins Hulse said: “As more and more consumers are transitioning from traditional TV consumption to app TV, there is no better time to introduce a platform that lets consumers organize and arrange their streaming subscriptions as channels in the way they have become accustomed to. Also, with the opportunity to now view live TV and to consume recorded content (VOD) online, it makes it easier for consumers to integrate all their channels and streaming services into one curated app.”

The Basic subscription provides users with discounts on bundles – exclusive promotions from new services and the control of their channel lineup, providing them with the option to remove default channels and arrange their subscription lineup to their desired channel placement. ScreenHits TV soft-launched in beta mode last summer via desktop and has attracted over 250,000 subscribers to date, with more than 800,000 users having initially registered their interest and growing.

Rose Adkins Hulse added: “Whatever is relevant for the consumer is relevant for us and after months of in-depth research on consumer trends and how consumers want to manage their multiple streaming services, we are thrilled to bring a premium curated aggregator to the market that allows them to do just that.

“With so many options out there and new streaming services launching every day, we want to help ensure that consumers are getting the most out of their subscriptions, discovering new services relevant to their interests and finding their desired content that much quicker.”

Consumers can use the desktop version of ScreenHits for free to integrate their existing subscriptions. For £0.99 a month, ScreenHits viewers are able to download the app versions, which allows them to launch videos from their tablet to their Android TV via Chromecast, using the dedicated Roku and Fire TV Stick apps. Apple TV, LG, and Vizio platforms will be supported early this summer, ScreenHits has promised.

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Entertainment

Amber Portwood Promises Daughter Leah, 12, She’ll ‘Make Things Right’ After Birthday Party Drama

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Amber Portwood Promises Daughter Leah, 12, She’ll ‘Make Things Right’ After Birthday Party Drama

Amber Portwood sent her daughter, Leah, an Easter message following the March 30 episode of ‘Teen Mom OG,’ in which fans saw how strained their bond has become.

Amber Portwood[1] was thinking of her daughter, Leah, on Easter following a difficult episode of Teen Mom OG[2] that highlighted their difficult mother-daughter relationship. The MTV star, 30, took to Instagram on Easter, April 4, and posted a selfie photo of herself with her 12-year-old, whom she shares with Gary Shirley. “I know you are going through a lot and there are many things I need to do to make things right. However, I will always love you, my beautiful daughter. Love you and Happy Easter,” she wrote as the caption. You can see the post below.

The post comes following the March 30 episode[3] of Teen Mom OG, which featured Leah getting ready for her 12th birthday in November 2020. After her dad asked Leah if she’d like to invite her mom, Amber, Leah became noticeably uncomfortable with the idea. “We don’t really have a bond like that. Twelve years and she hasn’t really done anything. That’s kind of been, like, Kristina’s spot,” Leah told her dad[4], referencing her stepmom.

But Gary was able to convince his daughter to extend an invitation to her mom. “I don’t want you writing your mom off and saying, ‘I can’t have a relationship with her’ and that kind of thing,” Gary said to Leah, adding, “because, you know, at some point, you should have a relationship with her.” But Amber made the decision not to attend Leah’s birthday festivities, expressing that she’d rather spend time with her away from cameras at a later date.

Following the March 30 episode, circumstances became even more tense between Amber and Gary. The reality TV star took to Instagram Live[9] and referred to Gary’s wife, Kristina, as a “homewrecker,” among other insults. “I was told when I got out [of jail] that I would have a family waiting for me,” Amber said in the recirculated video. But the video seemed to be further proof of how strained Amber’s relationships have become.

“[Leah] respects [Kristina] because she brings her out to Starbucks, gets her nails done and spends over a thousand something dollars of clothing on her. Hell, I’d respect her too. I was raised to not spoil my child. Kristina doesn’t do anything for Leah. She doesn’t take care of my daughter. Leah wanted to live with me until they went to Disney World,” Amber claimed[10].

References

  1. ^ Amber Portwood (hollywoodlife.com)
  2. ^ Teen Mom OG (hollywoodlife.com)
  3. ^ March 30 episode (hollywoodlife.com)
  4. ^ Leah told her dad (hollywoodlife.com)
  5. ^ @AmberLPortwood (twitter.com)
  6. ^ #TeenMomOG (twitter.com)
  7. ^ pic.twitter.com/yIPAEuc0VL (t.co)
  8. ^ March 30, 2021 (twitter.com)
  9. ^ took to Instagram Live (hollywoodlife.com)
  10. ^ Amber claimed (hollywoodlife.com)

Julia Teti

Celebrities

Kate Garraway's husband's heartbreaking response as she promises things will get better

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Kate Garraway: Finding Derek teaser released by ITV

Emotional Kate admits in a documentary: “Derek is the sickest person the team of doctors have treated this year.” The Good Morning Britain star also tells of her fears for her 53-year-old husband’s future as he fights long Covid from his ICU bed. Kate, also 53, said in a trailer for the programme: “Is he going to be able to come back or will he be alive but no longer the person he was?”

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It shows photos from the couple’s wedding in 2005 before the screen goes blank and a message reads: “One year later, Derek is still in hospital.” Derek, who is the longest surviving Covid patient in the country and has lost 8st, no longer tests positive for the virus.

But it has “ravaged” his body, Kate said, and left him with multiple health conditions including diabetes and holes in his heart and lungs.

Kate has given updates on her husband’s Covid battle over the course of the last year, and has taken some time off work to go and visit him.

When she has returned to studios, she has had to fight emotionally to keep going. She admits she fears what her husband’s life will be like if he is able to leave hospital.

Doctors have told her he may be “locked in” – able to see and think but not move.

garraway

Kate Garraway’s husband has been sick with Covid for a year (Image: ITV)

Kate said: “The very worst moment was when they said he could be locked in forever. And I just thought, this is a horror story.

“I don’t know if he’ll ever have any kind of life again. We just don’t know.”

Derek, a former adviser to the Labour Party, was admitted to hospital last March after contracting coronavirus. He was placed into a medically-induced coma a month later before he awoke in July.

But the virus had wreaked havoc throughout his body, resulting in kidney failure, liver and pancreatic damage.

On more than one occasion his heart stopped beating, he battled bacterial pneumonia and fought multiple infections, which punctured holes in his lungs. Kate, who shares children Darcey, 15, and William, 11, with her husband of 15 years, admitted it was shocking to see his current state, including his dramatic weight loss.

She revealed that on multiple occasions the hospital told her: “Prepare yourself, he’s going to die.”

Derek

Derek was admitted to hospital last March (Image: ITV)

During one incident, the TV presenter was told “he may have died” and that “somebody will call you back”. She then spent countless hours calling the hospital to get an answer, to no avail. When she did get through she discovered someone with a similar name had died.

But worse was to come as Kate had to learn to accept the possibility that Derek could be frozen indefinitely between life and death.

She revealed: “They said, ‘It’s highly unlikely he will make a good recovery’.”

When she asked what that would look like, she was told that being able to lift a hairbrush would be an example of a “reasonable recovery”.

Trying to make sense of her husband’s condition, the popular host said it appeared he was in an “ocean of unconsciousness”, and only rose to the top for air on rare occasions.

However she did note some tentative progress over Christmas.

kate garraway

Kate has released never before seen footage of Derek (Image: ITV)

As she pretended to forget her accountant’s name, Derek was able to fill in the blank and say it. He also heartbreakingly mouthed the word “pain” in October.

By the end of last year, he reportedly made some small steps towards recovery.

He was able to breathe naturally throughout the day and could swallow his own saliva, despite being fed by a tube through his stomach. He also no longer required kidney dialysis and had managed to increase his movement on one side, allowing him to move his glasses on his nose.

He was even able to recognise some faces and add snippets to conversations before sinking back into the deep waters of his unconscious mind.

Kate, who is video-calling him, is still not allowed to visit him in person due to coronavirus restrictions.

kate

Kate is not allowed to visit Derek in person (Image: ITV)

She said she tried to keep his hopes up by promising things would improve – but tragically his response was: “How?” The documentary, called Finding Derek, will show Kate giving an “unflinching account” of the past 12 months.

In the one-off film, she will talk about the impact of Covid-19 on her children, as well as meeting survivors of the disease.

Last night, an ITV spokesman said: “Kate offers an unflinching account of the profound effects on her family and on others as she opens up on camera.

“As Kate lays bare in the film, her family, along with many others who have suffered the effects of the virus, are now facing the reality of adjusting to a very different way of life to the one they lived before the pandemic hit.”

Finding Derek will be shown on ITV next Tuesday at 9pm.