Kate Garraway has revealed she made a 12-hour flight from Mexico to the UK in a last-ditch effort to save the life of husband Derek Draper.
The presenter had made the 5,500 mile journey and come back in a gruelling eight week escapade to provide specialist treatment to the former lobbyist who had long Covid.
Having suffered brain, kidney and liver damage in the three years since contracting the virus, Mr Draper died on Wednesday aged 56 after a heart attack.
Ms Garraway, who is best known for presenting Good Morning Britain, wrote on Instagram on Friday: "I'm sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away.
"As some of you may know he has been critically ill following a cardiac arrest in early December which, because of the damage inflicted by Covid in March 2020, led to further complications.”
They had made the flight to Mexico in November, the Sun reported, where he had treatment at an unnamed facility and had been wanting to return to the UK for Christmas.
A friend told the Sun: “Unfortunately as Kate excitedly returned to bring Derek home he suffered a cardiac arrest.
“Kate was by his side in intensive care in Mexico and worked with Derek’s UK consultants who oversaw his treatment and his return, which was a military operation.
“Under his UK doctor’s guidance, he was flown home by medevac — a specialist and extremely costly air ambulance — to be put in intensive care at a London hospital.”
Mr Draper had spent 184 days in and out of intensive care in 2020 and Ms Garraway became his carer, which she documented in her ITV documentary Finding Derek.
The family, including the couples’ children Darcey and Billy, were at his bedside over Christmas.
The friend added: “Unfortunately, despite the doctors in Mexico getting his heart beating stably again, Covid damage meant further complications ultimately affected his chance of recovery.
“It’s been an unbelievably gruelling eight weeks for Kate, and how she is still going is quite remarkable.”
Tributes have been paid to Mr Draper, including from This Morning presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, with his professional and personal personalities being hailed by those who knew him best.
