Piers Morgan has broken his silence following the death of Derek Draper, husband of his close friend Kate Garraway.
Kate announced on Friday (January 5) that Derek had sadly died at the age of 56, following a near four-year-long battle with the effects of Covid.
View this post on Instagram
Derek dies aged 56
On Friday, Kate took to Instagram to share the devastating news with her 1.2 million followers.
Kate posted a snap of Derek smiling, along with a lengthy caption. “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,” she then continued.
She then concluded the post by saying: “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.”
Piers Morgan pays tribute to Derek Draper following his death
In his new column for The Sun, Piers opened up on how he found out about Derek’s death – and how it left him “devastated, but not entirely shocked”.
“I woke up in Los Angeles on Friday morning to the message from her that I’d dreaded for nearly four years. ‘Dearest Piers,’ it began, ‘Derek has passed away…’ I was devastated, but not entirely shocked,” he wrote.
“It’s hard to overstate what he and Kate went through over the past few years –the constant 24/7 physical and mental torment inflicted on them both was far worse than people realise and would have destroyed most couples,” he then said.
“Reading back through our hundreds of texts and reliving the traumatic roller-coaster ride of hope and despair they went on in real time, made my eyes sting with tears,” he then added.
Kate Garraway doing ‘okay’ after death of Derek Draper
Over the weekend, a pal of Kate’s told the Daily Mail that the TV star is doing “okay” following her husband’s passing.
“She is doing okay. She is bearing up and is being strong for her children,” they told the publication.
Another source told The Sun: “The only comfort for the family now is that brave, fearless Derek is no longer in pain. That is bringing enormous solace. As is the kindness of strangers and public outpouring she’s received.
“Not once has she said woe is me. She was so, so brave for the sake of Derek and her children. She would come into work, every single day, after three hours of broken sleep, plaster on a smile, and sit in make-up having her heartbroken, tear-stained face covered with studio make-up. It was truly remarkable.”
You can leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and then let us know what you think of this story.