Kate Garraway has spoken candidly about the “raw pain of grief” as she thanked the public for their support following the death of her husband, Derek Draper.
On Friday (5 January), Good Morning Britain presenter Garraway announced that her husband, a former lobbyist-turned-psychologist, had died age 56.
Garraway, who married Draper in 2005, had cared for Draper after he suffered long-lasting symptoms from Covid-19. The pair share two children, Darcey and Billy.
In a video message shared with GMB viewers on Monday (8 January), Garraway, 56, expressed her gratitude for “the wonderful messages” from fans at a time when the “raw pain of grief can be so isolating”.
“Hello everyone,” she said. “Thank you so much for all the wonderful messages that you have sent me. It really does mean so much to me, Darcey, Billy and all of Derek’s family.
“They are an extraordinary comfort and I’m so lucky to feel connected to you all through these messages at this time when the raw pain of grief can be so isolating.”
Garraway continued: “And that is the wonderful thing, isn’t it, about our Good Morning Britain family. That all of us on the team and all of you watching from home are connected, supporting each other through the challenges of life, knowing that we can also laugh at the fun and joys together that we share too.
“I am certain that it is the support that you have given me and sent to Derek that has sustained us through these tough nearly four years, motivating us to fight on for each other and for those who can’t fight for themselves and it will sustain us to continue that fight in the weeks and months and years to come.”
Garraway added that she “looked forward” to returning to the show “very soon” in order to “celebrate life in all its wonder and challenge again”.
“I hope you forgive me for taking some time to be at home,” she explained. “My family is so grateful that we could be with our dearest Derek in his final moments – something not all get to share.
“Maybe you too are going through grief yourself or have done in the past. I send love and support for you too. We are taking time to heal ourselves now that Darcey and Billy know their daddy is at peace and free from pain and struggle.
“I shall be thinking of you all until we are reunited very soon. In the meantime, hug your loved ones close. All my love, Kate.”
Tributes to Draper and support for Garraway had been paid by her fellow GMB stars Susanna Reid, Ben Shephard and Charlotte Hawkins, former prime minister Sir Tony Blair and musician Sir Elton John.
The presenter had chronicled the challenges faced by the family in books and ITV shows after Draper fell seriously ill with Covid-19 during the early part of the pandemic in March 2020.
He spent 13 months in hospital before he was discharged and had been re-admitted several times over the past four years.
On Monday’s episode of GMB, Dr Hilary Jones recalled the moment that Garraway had expressed concern about Draper’s “breathing” in 2020, saying he “ran out of puff” in eight seconds.
Kate Garraway, with her husband Derek Draper and her parents Gordon and Marilyn Garraway— (PA Archive)
He said: “Most people can hold their breath for a minute, some much longer than that, and it was clear to me immediately that he needed hospitalisation, so I said to Kate, ‘You need to call the ambulance now’. They were both quite stoical. They hadn’t panicked.
“They called me, which I was very happy that they did. I said ‘But he does need to be assessed’. The paramedics, I understand, were extremely good. They were there very quickly, they checked his oxygen saturations, which they were very low, and there was no doubt at all that he needed to be hospitalised, which he was, and he was almost immediately sent to intensive care.”
He continued: “At the time, thousands of people were affected, so there was a shortage of ventilators. ITU was extremely busy and he clearly had a very weakened organ system from day one, not just his lungs.
“So this affected his nervous system, it was affecting his circulation, it was affecting his pancreas, and, clearly, subsequent months and years were the result of his body being so damaged by the acute infection.”
It was reported on GMB in December that Draper was in “a very serious condition” after suffering a heart attack.
Garraway won a prize at the 2021 National Television Awards (NTA) for the documentary Finding Derek, about her family’s experience during the pandemic, which detailed her husband’s treatment and his subsequent return to their family home.
It was later followed up with Caring For Derek, which showed the “myriad challenges of the social care system and its complexities” when Draper returned home, and a third ITV documentary had been planned.
The work with highlighting the impact of Covid also led to Smooth Radio presenter Garraway being made an MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for her services to broadcasting, journalism and charity.
Garraway will be taking a break from her TV and radio presenting roles for the time being but she plans to return to work in the future.
Additional reporting by Press Association.
