Kate Garraway has shared a heartbreaking conversation she had with her daughter after Derek Draper’s death.
The Good Morning Britain host announced the death of her husband of 18 years at the age of 56 on Instagram last Friday morning, almost four years after he first fell seriously ill with Covid.
Derek had been plagued with health woes after contracting Covid in 2020 and suffered a cardiac arrest in early December. MailOnline understands he passed away the Wednesday before.
On Monday, Kate’s Good Morning Britain co-host Ben Shephard gave an update on his friend and said her family were in the ‘next stages’ following Derek’s death.
He also shared a sweet conversation that Kate had with daughter Darcey, 17, just yesterday when she told her she needed to go and register Derek’s death.
Kate Garraway revealed a heartbreaking conversation she had with daughter Darcey, 17, following Derek Draper’s death, (the family pictured together in 2019)
When Kate said she was going to register Derek’s death, her daughter said: ‘can you take the Christmas jumper off and can you brush your hair?’ – the clocks had stopped when he had his cardiac arrest just before Christmas and now they were starting to come out of th
Ben said: ‘They are in the next stages of working out what happens. There’s a lot of admin to do when you lose someone. In that brilliant way yesterday, she said, “I have to go out to go and register the death”.
‘She told Darcey, “I’m going to have to go out the house”, and Darcey said, “I know this is going to be really hard but can I make one suggestion?” She says, “course you can darling”.
‘And then Darcey said, “can you take the Christmas jumper off and can you brush your hair?”
‘She said to me the clocks stopped for us just before Christmas when Derek had that heart attack and she’s just starting to come out of that.
‘We all know that Kate in the run up to Christmas wears a new Christmas jumper every day, she supports the charity.
‘And suddenly she realises yesterday that everything has been frozen in time since then. So now it’s about the next part of his journey.’
Ben also added that Kate has been overwhelmed by all the support and messages she has received.
He said: ‘It’s been extraordinary. It’s the first time I’ve been on sadly since we heard of Derek’s passing last Friday.
Ben also added that Kate has been overwhelmed by all the support and messages she has received
‘I just thought it would be alright to take a moment firstly on Kate’s behalf – I spoke to Kate last night – she again reiterated what she said on Monday, which is a huge, huge thank you to everyone that has sent her and the family a message.
‘I’ve been stopped by people in the street, I was stopped by a woman who sadly lost her father that day who had been suffering for a long time with dementia and said my dad has been ill for the same period as Derek has and we’ve watched Kate and her family and the courage they’ve shown go through the last four years.
‘He had passed away not long after Derek had and she said it’s been such a power of strength to see her and watch her and keep going. Stories like that and messages like that, it’s been so overwhelming.
‘Kate said she can’t explain how important that has been for her all the way for the last four years, that there has been so much support and what she has shared has had a huge impact.
‘She said she’s sort of in a strange bubble of her own numbness of grief. Her, Billy and Darcey are hunkering down together. Her amazing mum and dad are just remarkable. She’s got all the right people around her. She wanted everybody to know she will be back as soon as she can.’
On Sunday, it was reported that Kate had said she ‘tortured’ herself by listening to her husband Derek’s voicemail to hear his ‘old voice.’
Kate revealed she would call the political lobbyist’s phone just to hear his voice when he was in an induced coma.
Writing in her 2023 memoir, The Strength of Love, she explained: ‘I knew that what I was about to do would be like torturing myself but I sensed this was the moment that I needed to push myself to the limit.’
Kate previously admitted she ‘tortured’ herself by listening to her husband Derek voicemail to hear his ‘old voice’
The Good Morning Britain host announced the death of her husband of 18 years at the age of 56 on Instagram last Friday morning, almost four years after he first fell ill with Covid
She continued: ‘I called Derek’s old mobile number and heard his “old voice” on the answerphone – so powerful, so in control, the soft Lancashire accent so familiar and now so distant from the whispered words we heard from Derek every day.
‘I was floored, but knew I had to… go deeper, so I searched his last texts to me and his emails going further back than the final heartbreaking ones he’d sent me from the hospital, before he was put into the coma.
‘Three years on, reading these day-to-day conversations brought me to tears. I felt full of regret that I hadn’t treasured this connection… more.’
Kate spent Christmas Day in hospital with her husband because he was ‘too unwell’ to go home – after suffering the cardiac arrest.
The Mirror reported Kate, Derek and their two children Darcey and Billy, 14, spent their final Christmas as a family together beside his hospital bed.
A source said: ‘Unfortunately Derek was too unwell for doctors to allow him home for Christmas. But the last thing Kate wanted was for him to be alone during the holidays.
‘So they brought Christmas to him, food, presents and all. The whole family was there with him and they had the best day they could.’
Kate made a desperate 12-hour flight home from Mexico with husband Derek Draper, where he had been undergoing specialist treatment, after he suffered a cardiac arrest last month.
Kate revealed she would call the political lobbyist’s phone just to hear his voice when he was in an induced coma (pictured in February 2022)
According to reports Kate and Derek ventured to Mexico ‘without fanfare’ in November for treatment which went ‘incredibly well’ only for him to suffer a cardiac arrest ahead of their return home in time for Christmas (pictured together in 2007)
The Sun reports Kate and Derek ventured to Mexico ‘without fanfare’ in November for treatment which went ‘incredibly well’ only for him to suffer a cardiac arrest ahead of their return home in time for Christmas.
Ex-lobbyist Derek was stabilised and put in an air ambulance for the 12-hour flight, with his beloved wife by his side.
With a source telling the publication: ‘The treatment went incredibly well, and his doctor and all the consultants were hugely optimistic about his long-term progress, and future’.
‘Unfortunately as Kate excitedly returned to bring Derek home he suffered a cardiac arrest’.
The broadcaster was by Derek’s side in intensive care in Mexico and worked with UK doctors who oversaw his return via a specialist plane.
Adding: ‘Unfortunately, despite the doctors in Mexico getting his heart beating stably again, Covid damage meant further complications ultimately affected his chance of recovery.’
Kate frequently kept fans updated on his health struggles and his difficult journey during his Covid battle, previously sharing his heartbreaking last request before he was hospitalised.
While Derek was waiting for an ambulance before being taken to hospital in March 2020, he asked his two beloved children to ‘look after’ Kate.
Kate shared that she was by her husband’s side ‘holding his hand’ during his final hours as she penned an emotional tribute alongside a smiling picture of Derek
He told them: ‘You’re the best children anybody could ever have asked for. Look after Mum, be good for her”,’ Kate previously shared while discussing his Covid battle in June 2020.
Derek was in and out of hospital after he fell seriously ill with coronavirus at the very start of the pandemic in March 2020, and was left with lasting damage to his organs.
Doctors put him in a medically induced coma and he became the longest-suffering coronavirus patient in the UK after spending 13 months in hospital, away from Kate and their two children.
However, he was readmitted several times with numerous health issues, including kidney failure, brain inflammation and liver damage.