STANDING PROUDLY with Derek by her side as she received her MBE last June, Kate Garraway’s smile betrayed the pain they had endured over the past three years.
The veteran TV presenter took care of her husband’s every need after he was first struck by Covid in March 2020.
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Kate Garraway tended to her husband’s every need after he was first struck by Covid in March 2020. Credit: Courtesy of Kate Garraway
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Kate after receiving her MBE with Derek and her parents Gordon and Marilyn last JuneCredit: Getty
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Kate was praised for her documentary – Caring For DerekCredit: ITV
The virus ravaged his body and caused his kidneys to fail and holes in his heart to develop.
Derek’s illness crippled the family emotionally and financially – Kate was hit with a £716,000 tax bill when she was forced to close his psychotherapy business.
She juggled TV work with radio work, all while looking after Derek and their two children, Darcey, 17, and 14-year-old Billy, at their home in the capital.
Last night, a source close to Kate, who works with her at ITV, said: “Kate has been through hell and back – and, thanks to her career, it’s all out in the open.
“The strength of character and courage she showed is simply indescribable.
“Poor Derek and Kate have become the unwitting poster couple of Covid – something absolutely nobody could have predicted four years ago.
“Their battle has inspired millions of Britons affected by this deadly virus and provided comfort in a dark time. To say Kate was a trooper is an understatement.
“She would come to work, every day, after three hours of broken sleep, put on a smile and sit in make-up with a broken heart, crying face covered in studio make-up. It was truly extraordinary.
“Not once did she say ‘woe is me’ — she was so, so brave for the sake of Derek and her children.
“The only consolation for the family now is that brave, fearless Derek is no longer suffering. That brings enormous comfort – as does the kindness of strangers and the public outpouring she has received.”
Others may have crumbled under the pressure, but Kate managed to keep a smile – and even used Derek’s plight to raise awareness of other families whose lives have been torn apart by prolonged Covid.
Speaking publicly about Derek for the last time eight weeks ago, she said she tried to stay positive despite the hopelessness of their situation.
She said of Derek: “He lives in a world of the unknown. When he wakes up in the morning, it’s heartbreaking because it feels like you’re looking at someone who may have been living in his old life in his dreams, and then he wakes up and you see the cloud of the battle before him descend.
After Derek was discharged from hospital in 2021, Kate spent tens of thousands of pounds adapting their home for him and, along with a team of carers, helped support Derek around the clock.
The difficulty of her situation was evident and Kate told us that no day is ever the same.
She explained: “Every day is a roller coaster. Derek’s spirit fluctuates. Sometimes he’s lying there, he can’t move, and tears are rolling down his face, and it’s heartbreaking.”
The kids had to adjust too, their dad could barely communicate, let alone spend hours playing like before.
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The couple got married in 2005
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Derek blows a playful kiss as he and Kate dance at the 2007 TV Awards Credit: Rex
She said: “He’s their dad. He comes alive and you can see him trying to be old dad as much as he can, trying to make them laugh, trying to do different things.
“But they had to understand that Derek was so loud, noisy, huge, you know… . . irresistible. . . and God, how we loved it, but he’s not like that now, so they had to adapt.”
Kate twice privately funded trips to Mexico for radical therapy courses in an attempt to help Derek recover.
Despite the insurmountable challenges and major upheavals she faced, one thing never wavered – her love for Derek.
Kate fondly recalled how Derek, a popular character as well as a celebrated writer and political activist, “created chaos just for fun”.
He started his political career in 1990 working for Labor MP Nick Brown.
He then worked as a researcher for Peter Mandelson, and in 1996 became director of the lobbying firm GPC Market Access, where he helped found the new Labor organization Progress.
Derek, who later became a successful writer, met Kate in 2004 at a party.
They married in 2005, had Darcey in 2006 and Billy in 2009.
Derek largely stayed in the background of her career until Kate’s appearance on I’m a Celeb in 2019, where he appeared on Breakfast TV with their children to talk about how proud he was of his wife.
She later recalled: “He very sweetly said that while he was looking at me in the jungle, he fell in love with me all over again.
“He burst into tears, then got down on one knee right in front of the camera around the corner, proposed to us in front of our children Darcey and Billy, and said ‘Let’s renew our wedding vows’.”
Unfortunately, Derek’s Covid diagnosis meant that their planned second wedding never came to fruition.
The wife’s touching confession
“I am sorry to tell you all that my dear husband Derek has passed away.
As some of you may know, he was critically ill following a cardiac arrest in early December, which, due to the damage done by Covid in March 2020, led to further complications.
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Kate paid a touching tribute to her husband Derek
Derek was surrounded by his family in his final days and I was by his side holding his hand during the last long hours and when he passed away.
I have a lot more to say and of course I will in due course, but for now I just want to thank all the medical teams who fought so hard to save him and make his last moments as comfortable and dignified as possible.
Sending lots of love and gratitude to all of you who have so generously given our family so much support.
Rest in peace now Derek, my love, I was so lucky to have you in my life.”
The timeline of the tragedy
30 MARCH 2020: Unresponsive, Derek is rushed to hospital with Covid after Kate calls TV doctor and friend Dr Hilary Jones worried about her husband’s health.
APRIL 24: Derek is put into an induced coma.
JUNE 5: Kate reveals that Derek is Covid-free, but his body is damaged and they are unsure of the future.
JULY 5: He wakes up from a deep coma, but remains “minimally conscious”. Doctors are urging Kate to try to “get on with life” while he remains in hospital.
AUGUST 19: Kate reveals she celebrated Derek’s birthday with the kids and said it was a “challenging” time for their family.
SEPTEMBER 6: Reveals Derek has lost eight stone and can’t speak.
SEPTEMBER 29: Derek becomes the longest-suffering Covid patient after spending 184 days in hospital.
OCTOBER 30: He awoke from a coma and spoke for the first time in seven months – but disturbingly one of the words he said was “pain”.
OCTOBER 31: He was finally taken off the ventilator after 214 days in the hospital.
JANUARY 7, 2021: Kate reveals that their children visited Derek at Christmas — the first time since he was in hospital — and that it was a joy for them to be together again
APRIL 9: Derek returns home after more than a year, but needs round-the-clock care. Kate begins the process of remodeling their house to be wheelchair accessible and installs a hospital bed in the living room.
MAY 4: Derek can talk more and say a few words.
DECEMBER 22: He was shown in public for the first time – smiling in pantomime. He was going to the Richmond Theater in South West London to see Cinderella.
FEBRUARY 21, 2022: Kate says they secretly flew to Mexico for a medical. The team behind the trial contacted Kate and they flew out to start the process.
JULY 6: Derek is rushed back to the hospital.
AUGUST 1: He is in intensive care with “life-threatening” sepsis. Kate later discovers that Derek’s long Covid has led to kidney failure and holes in his heart.
MARCH 4: Friends reveal Kate has flown Derek back to Mexico for experimental treatment as she continues to try to improve his quality of life.
28 JUNE: Derek sees that Kate has completed her MBE and she praises his “determination”.
OCTOBER 8: Kate reveals Derek is “not doing well” after his infection, adding: “The battle continues”.
NOVEMBER 23: Derek is rushed to hospital for treatment to help him move around.
DECEMBER 11: He was rushed to the hospital after falling ill and suffering a devastating heart attack.
JANUARY 3, 2024: Derek dies with Kate by his side and holding his hand.
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