Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway has faced a heart-wrenching year following the death of her husband, Derek Draper.
Seven months after her loss, Kate took her son Billy on a ‘dream’ holiday.
Kate Garraway children
Over the summer, Kate and her 15-year-old son Billy were invited by close friends Vickie and Nick White to join them at their Florida villa.
“I jumped at the offer, knowing that Vickie would hold my hand through our first holiday without Derek and distract any quietness with lots of fun and celebration. But I didn’t expect her to produce the amazing time we all had,” Kate shared with HELLO! magazine.
The celebration was extra special as Billy’s birthday fell during the trip. “This is Bill’s first birthday without his dad – since he was tiny, Derek always took charge of the birthdays. In fact, friends said he could have been a children’s party entertainer in another life, he loved it so much,” Kate reminisced.
Addressing the difficult first year of grieving, Kate explained: “So many people have warned me that when you lose someone you love, the first year is tough because you’re doing so many things which are soaked in the memory of how you used to do them together.”
The family’s usual birthday routine included celebrations with the grandparents and Derek, something that would be absent this year.
The Good Morning Britain presenter said she was “concerned” it might just be Billy and her “celebrating on our own” which she worried could have “felt flat and sad and exaggerated his dad’s absence”.
Derek’s four-year struggle against Covid-19 and the family’s dedication to his care meant that holidays like this one had been unthinkable.
Kate and Derek
During the trip, Kate witnessed her son laugh, an experience she describes as heartwarming.
Even she found herself diving into the joy of the moment and embracing the magic of Disney.
Despite the moments of joy, the absence of Derek was difficult, especially during moments like navigating the airport without his familiar presence.
She said it was ” particularly tricky because he was always the holiday organiser with his folder full of all the paperwork”.
But support from friends and the Virgin Atlantic team helped her through.
Read more: Kate Garraway apologises to Josie Gibson over her festival appearance
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