Kate Garraway shares husband Derek Draper’s heartbreaking last request before his death

Kate Garraway was incredibly open when her late husband, Derek Draper, was diagnosed with a debilitating case of COVID in March 2020.

He was placed in a medically induced coma for almost four months, and spent over a year in hospital.

When he returned home, Derek, who was a political advisor, required 24-hour care.

By September 2023, Kate said she was unsure if her husband would ever get better.

In December that year, he suffered a heart attack.

Derek, one of the nation’s longest suffering COVID patients, tragically succumbed to the illness and died in January aged 56.

At the time, Kate made a statement on Instagram which said: “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.”

On 26 March, Kate will be sharing a closer look at Derek’s life and illness, in Kate Garraway: Derek's Story - a documentary that will be airing on ITV.

Instagram/@kategarraway

"The idea of making this third documentary at all came from Derek himself."

It’s sure to be an emotional rollercoaster, as viewers will have an up-close look of the daily realities of Derek’s condition as well as the financial costs and emotional strain.

Kate has shared that this film is something that Derek really wanted out in the world.

The Good Morning Britain host recounted: "I remember so vividly that the idea of making this third documentary at all came from Derek himself. I hadn't planned to make another one. He'd been released from a four-month spell in hospital for sepsis.

"We were very positive about his recovery. Derek was determined to keep on getting better and improving. One day, we were sitting together while I was caring for him. He suddenly, from nowhere, asked, 'Are we making another documentary?'"

Kate has previously made two documentaries, Finding Derek in March 2021 and Caring for Derek in February 2022.

Instagram/@kategarraway

"We wanted to celebrate the incredible work of carers, both professional and those who do it out of love."

Kate added: “I said [to Derek], 'Well I hadn't really planned to. Were you thinking that you would like to?' And he said firmly 'yes'. I said, 'Well, if we do, I think we should work on it together and it should be your story, told in your voice'.”

She quoted him as saying: "Never give up fighting for what you believe in and for the people you love."

Kate added: "His words and speech were so limited and there were so many things he wanted to say about the struggle we were all having as a family."

Instagram/@kategarraway

Kate then explained: "So we set out to make Derek's story together to highlight how he and our family are just one of millions who, every day, have to deal with the challenges of severe disability or life-threatening illness.

"And we wanted to celebrate the incredible work of carers, both professional and those who do it out of love."

Kate said that the documentary is 'a way of allowing Derek's voice to be heard', while acknowledging that 'finishing without him has been so hard'.

She concluded: "I am delighted that the film is a tribute to Derek and his incredible spirit.

"It's also a tribute to all of those who fight on to make every second of life count, whatever is thrown at them."

It will be a heartbreaking watch, but a necessary one.

Kate Garraway: Derek's Story airs on Tuesday, March 26 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.