STORY OF THE WEEK
Kate Garraway thanks fans after husband’s death
TV presenter Kate Garraway has thanked
viewers for their support after the death of her “darling” husband Derek Draper aged 56 (inset above, with Kate in 2019).
In a message read out by fellow Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid, Kate mentioned the couple’s children, Darcey, 17, and Billy, 14, when she told viewers: “Thank you all so much for all the wonderful messages 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 am so lucky to feel connected to you all through these messages at this time, when the raw pain of grief can be so isolating.
“I am certain that it is the support 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.”
Kate, 56, added: “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.”
Kate announced Derek’s death on Instagram, revealing that she had been “holding his hand throughout the last long hours”. He fell critically ill in March 2020 after contracting Covid-19 and was put into a medically induced coma, remaining in hospital for 13 months. He suffered a heart attack in early December.
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