TV star Kate Garraway opened up about the loss of her husband Derek Draper on GMB this week as she made her return.
Derek died on January 3 at age 56 following his long battle with Covid-19 and its after effects. His funeral was held on February 2 at the Church of St Mary The Virgin in Primrose Hill. It was the same location where he and Kate got married.
Kate Garraway on GMB
Ahead of next month’s national Day of Reflection, on Friday (February 9) Kate was joined by Ben Shephard, who attended Derek’s funeral, actor Larry Lamb, and bereavement counsellor Claire Collins.
Larry also lost his brother to Covid-19 in 2019.
“We were talking around this time last year, about the day of reflection and the importance of it,” Kate said. “And I mean, obviously, I’m in a different place to talk about it now. And I’m very aware of the sensation of grief, although also very aware that actually I’m only at the first stages and there’s so many different stages of it all.”
Kate recognises that it would have been “tough” for those “who hadn’t got that wrap around, around them or the chance to have a funeral where they could hug loved ones” at the height of the pandemic.
‘We are not equipped for loss’
Kate added: “We are not equipped for loss. No one is equipped for it. Nobody wants to be able to face it but we are all going to come against it at some point in our lives.”
While talking about her children, Kate said she is trying to “help” them through the difficult situation.
“One of the things they have said is that people don’t know what to say to them,” she explained.
Kate insisted her children “want to help their friends and other people feel comfortable to still have a relationship with them”.
The 56-year-old had two children with Derek – daughter Darcey, 17, and 14-year-old son William.
Read more: Kate Garraway in tears as she makes GMB return: ‘I want to give her a big hug’
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