Kate Garraway remembers her “dear” husband Derek Draper.
On Friday morning, the British broadcaster announced on Instagram that Draper had died following a cardiac arrest in December and lingering complications from COVID-19.
“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 caused by Covid in March 2020, led to to further complications,” Garraway, 56, shared in the caption.
“Derek was surrounded by his family in his last days and I was there holding his hand during the last long hours and when he passed away,” she added alongside a photo of him at an event.
British newspapers Guard states that the former lobbyist, and later psychotherapist, was 56 years old at the time of his death.
Kate Garraway and Derek Draper in April 2009.
Jon Furniss/WireImage
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Garraway and Draper married in 2005 and have two children, 17-year-old Darcey and 13-year-old William, respectively Guard.
In her latest post, Garraway wrote that she would share more about her husband “in due course,” while thanking “the medical teams who fought so hard to save him and make his final moments as comfortable and dignified as possible.”
As a presenter for ITV Good morning BritainGarraway frequently updated viewers and followers on social media about her husband’s health after he first contracted COVID-19 in March 2020.
In a June 2020 interview, the host revealed that Draper’s battle with the virus had been “won” but that it had “caused extreme damage to his body” after he was placed in a medically induced coma in April of that year.
Draper was the subject of a 2021 documentary titled Looking for Derek which documented her family’s experience during the pandemic. In April of that year, Garraway published her book The power of hope about her husband’s journey and the daily care he required, which she followed The Power of Love: Embracing an Uncertain Future with Resilience and Optimism in February 2023.
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Several famous British figures – including Elton John – expressed their condolences to Garraway via social media.
“My heart goes out to Kate, Darcey, William and the whole family after Derek’s passing. David, the boys and I are thinking of you and sending all our love,” he wrote on his Instagram Story.
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In April 2023, Draper and Garraway attended John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour”, where the musician dedicated his song “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” to their family.
“You gave the kids and Derek a moment we will never forget and lifted their spirits again to feel that anything is possible,” Garraway wrote at the time. “Thank you for your inspiring music and huge heart ❤️. Thank you to everyone else who made the impossible possible.”
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Source: HIS Education