Kate Garraway has candidly admitted she makes ‘so many mistakes’ as a solo parent, following the death of her husband Derek Draper.
The Good Morning Britain presenter, 57, who shares daughter Darcey, 19, and son William, 15, with Derek, opened up on navigating solo parenting.
Speaking to Jenny Johnston for Daily Mail Weekend Magazine, Kate declared parenting as a single mother is the ‘hardest part of grieving’.
Kate’s husband of 18 years Derek passed away at the age of 56 in January last year after suffering a heart attack following a long battle with Covid.
She said: ‘It’s the hardest part of grieving. So many times I just think “Derek where are you?”
‘When he was here we didn’t plan which one of us was bad cop to the other’s good cop. You sort of do it without thinking.’
Kate Garraway, 57, has candidly admitted she makes ‘so many mistakes’ as a solo parent, following the death of her husband Derek Draper (pictured this week)
The Good Morning Britain presenter, who shares daughter Darcey, 19, and son William, 15, with Derek (pictured together in 2019), opened up on navigating solo parenting
Speaking to Jenny Johnston for Daily Mail Weekend Magazine, Kate declared parenting as a single mother is the ‘hardest part of grieving’ (pictured with Darcey and William in 2024)
Kate added: ‘Now I have to be everything – the one who’s fun, the one who chivvies everyone along and the one who yells “Oh my god, you are going to fail everything”.
‘I make so many mistakes but doesn’t everyone? Does the perfect mother exist?
‘I suppose one of the things about what’s happened is that I’ve had to have very grown-up conversations with my children.’
Derek passed away on January 3, 2024 nearly four years after he became ill with multiple complications due to Coronavirus.
After his passing, Kate shared a heartbreaking announcement on Instagram, writing: ‘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.’
‘Derek was surrounded by his family in his final days and I was by his side holding his hand throughout the last long hours and when he passed.’
‘I have so much more to say, and of course I will do so in due course, but for now I just want to thank all the medical teams who fought so hard to save him and to make his final moments as comfortable and dignified as possible.’
Kate’s husband of 18 years Derek passed away at the age of 56 in January last year after suffering a heart attack following a long battle with Covid
Kate’s comments about her loss come after, on the anniversary of Derek’s death this year, she opened up about her ‘excessive, unpayable debt’ from her late husband’s care
On the anniversary of his death this year, Kate opened up about her ‘excessive, unpayable debt’ from her late husband’s care.
During a segment on Good Morning Britain, presenter and co-host Adil Ray, 50, spoke to Health Secretary Wes Streeting about the plans for a new National Care Service – which might not be available in England until 2028.
When Derek wasn’t in hospital throughout his four-year battle with the virus, he was looked after 24/7 at home by his wife and carers.
With the subject being very close to her heart, Kate told the politician: ‘I’m thinking about the situation with Derek. It actually happens to be the one-year anniversary of his death today. A day that is only relevant to me.
‘But over the last few weeks, the family and I have been talking about the challenges we faced this time last year, one of the overriding ones, he went back into intensive care before he passed away was dealing with the funding of care.
‘At the time of his death, there were two appeals that hadn’t been heard for funding. It kept being pushed back and pushed back.
‘In the meantime, I’m lucky I have an incredible job which is well paid. I was having to fund the situation. Now I’ve got excessive unpayable debt because of it.
‘If I’m in that position what else are people going to be? People can’t afford four more years of this!’
Politician Wes Streeting replied: ‘Firstly Kate, I know lots of viewers will feel the same, having followed your anniversary that you’re going through, yourself and your family. All of us are with you.
He added: ‘I think that’s why your story connected with so many people. You’re not just a familiar face on screens, your viewers feel they’ve got a relationship with you as a presenter.’
