Kate Garraway admits her daughter 'worries she might die sooner' because she's an older mum

Darcey told her mum: 'I wish you were younger'

Kate Garraway has shared an emotional story about her daughter's concerns over her mother's age.

TV presenter Kate, 49, opened up to host Lorraine Kelly about the challenges that come with older motherhood, recalling a conversation with 11-year-old Darcey, who said she had fears about Kate passing away.

'We were talking about my age and me being an older mum the other day and I said to her, "What do you think about me being an older mum than some of your friends' mums?",' Kate explained. 'She said for the first time ever, "I wish you were younger. I just worry that you might die sooner".'

Kate, who also shares son Billy with husband Derek Draper, added: 'I feel like there is even more responsibility on me now to take my health seriously, to take being present seriously.'

'Even though I know that actually I can be as energetic as younger people because you have a different focus sometimes. It's the right time for me to be a mum. It made me think some of the issues I've been discussing she has obviously been thinking about as well.'

Kate pictured with her two children in 2013

It's not the first time that the Good Morning Britain host has been candid about her experience of having children later in life.

In 2013, after a poll revealed that 70% of British women think having children in their forties was 'too old', Kate became an ambassador for a fertility awareness campaign, saying that she hadn't previously realised how 'risky' delaying pregnancy may have been.

'I had my second child at 42 and never questioned at the time that it might be too old,' she told the Daily Mail at the time. 'But I do look back now and realise that leaving pregnancy late can be a risky bet as diminishing fertility can stack the odds against you.'

'That's why I agreed to become ambassador to the campaign - I want to alert women to start thinking about their fertility at a younger age than our generation did. They should get prepared and make informed choices early so there is no chance of sleepwalking into infertility.'

GoodtoKnow

Trusted, informative, and empathetic – GoodToKnow is the ultimate online destination for mums. Established in 2007, our 15-year-strong archive of content includes more than 18,000 articles, 1,500 how-to videos, and 7,000 recipes.