Kate Garraway heartbreakingly announced the death of her beloved husband Derek Draper last month following his health struggles.
The presenter reportedly spent Christmas at her ailing husband’s bedside with their two children.
Kate had apparently made plans to celebrate Christmas at home and even said Derek was in a better position than the last two years. However, Derek then faced a major setback after he suffered from a heart attack.
In December, a source told The Sun that it had been “heartbreaking” for Kate and Derek and his condition was “the same”.
Derek Draper’s final weeks
The source told The Sun: “Sadly, his condition remains much the same. The children are aware of the situation and have been by their dad’s bedside as much as possible.”
The source continued: “The whole family is rallying around and trying to stay strong for one another. At Christmas time, this is especially devastating.”
It came after Kate took an indefinite leave as host of Good Morning Britain and Smooth Radio following Derek’s poor health.
However, on January 5, Kate released a statement to confirm Derek’s death. Within it, she detailed his final days.
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She said: “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.”
In her tribute, she also said: “Sending so much love and thanks to all of you who have so generously given our family so much support.
“Rest gently and peacefully now Derek, my love, I was so lucky to have you in my life.”
Derek Draper’s final outing
One of the last photos of Derek showed just how much of a devoted husband he was to Kate. In July last year, he was at her side as she received an MBE from Prince William.
Sharing images on Instagram at the time, Kate said: “Well what a week, that started with Derek in hospital and ended with Derek in hospital, but with this extraordinary day in the middle. It was so wonderful to see Derek’s determination to be there.”
Derek’s health battle
When Derek was first admitted into the hospital back in 2020 due to COVID-19, he fell into a coma and was even put on a ventilator to save his life. After that, Derek battled various health problems with the virus, as it caused inflammation kidney failure, and liver and pancreas damage.
He was laid to rest today (February 2), with daughter Darcey helping to carry her dad’s coffin into the church.
Read more: Heartbreaking Derek Draper timeline: Catching Covid in 2020, devastating heart attack, death at 56
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