Kate Garraway has announced that her husband Derek Draper has died aged 56. She wrote on Instagram that he was 'surrounded by family' during his final days.
She added, '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's health battle since 2020 has been followed by the whole country and even marked in documentaries with the family, Kate Garraway: Finding Derek and and Kate Garraway: Caring for Derek.
In December, Kate shared a health update on Derek Draper after he had suffered a heart attack and revealed that he was once again fighting for his life. Ever since he fell ill with Coronavirus in March 2020, Kate had been caring for her husband of 18 years, as well as providing fans with regular health updates about Derek's years-long battle.
Derek was in a critical condition following his heart attack, and Kate subsequently cancelled all her work commitments in the run up to Christmas so that she could spend precious time with her family. According to a source at The Sun, Christmas for Kate and the couple's two children, Darcey and William, was spent at Derek's beside in hospital.
When did Derek Draper have a heart attack?
Derek Draper suffered a heart attack on Monday 11 December and remained in hospital until he died. His wife Kate Garraway announced his death via Instagram on 5 January.
Despite showing signs of recovery just months ago, Derek's December health setback put him in a 'critical condition'.
What has Kate Garraway said about her husband's death?
Kate Garraway announced the news that her husband had died via Instagram on 5 January. She wrote, '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.'
The presenter added, '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.
'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.'
Did Derek Draper suffer with Coronavirus?
Derek initially returned home in April 2021 after spending an entire 12 months in hospital fighting Covid-19. His lengthy time in hospital meant he's believed to be the UK's longest surviving in-patient. He suffered kidney failure, liver damage and pancreas and heart failure due to coronavirus. He received round-the-clock care at home before he was hospitalised in December.
Did Derek Draper have underlying health conditions before he caught covid?
According to Kate, Derek had ‘zero underlying health conditions’ and at only 53, his age didn’t make him particularly vulnerable to coronavirus. While he was ‘a little bit overweight’, – which is a known contributor to the severity of Covid-19 symptoms – there was ‘no explanation’ as to why his condition is so severe, she told Good Morning Britain.
What has Kate Garraway previously said about Derek Draper's health?
As well as her documentaries Kate Garraway: Finding Derek and Kate Garraway: Caring for Derek, Kate has detailed in interviews the reality of her life caring for him.
In an interview with The Sunday Times in September 2023, Kate revealed that she only sleeps for around four hours most nights, and had not taken a day off caring for Derek since he fell ill in March 2020.
'Caring for someone you love is a privilege, and I will never give up, but I want to champion the cause that everyone in my position faces because I know people are drowning trying to navigate through the care system,' she said. 'We talk about a crisis, but it is beyond crisis. It is very lonely and very difficult, and I at least do have that voice.'
In the interview, Kate also gave an update on Derek's condition. At that point, he had no physical mobility and needed to be held upright by two people five times a day in order to bear any weight. 'Being upright is incredible for the brain,' she explained. 'We’re meant to be upright – you don’t want your brain to adjust to being flat.'
In another interview with Woman's Own, Kate opened up about the emotional strain that Derek's health had put on her saying, 'It's both emotional and physical because your relationship with the person has changed, but also what I've found is that some of things that floor me are when there are moments when Derek is very present and then the next moment he is not. You get a strange, overwhelming feeling of loneliness where you suddenly feel the person is lost and you want to grab them, fix them - bring them back.'
After Finding Derek - which detailed her husband's battle with coronavirus - won best authored documentary at the National Television Awards in 2022, Kate gave an emotional speech about what the achievement meant to her and her family.
'Thank you so much, it was a hugely brave decision for ITV to commission this, they didn’t know whether they were making a story about bereavement or triumph,' Kate began.
'In the end, really it ended up being something between the two… Thank you so much for voting, I wonder if the reason why you did is because our story is your story. I think we’ve all been touched by the pandemic, whether it’s livelihood, mental health... I just want to say to all the Darcey’s and Billy’s and Derek’s and Derek’s family, that whatever you’re going through and however you’re affected, you’re not forgotten. We want the joy back, we want it to be over but if you’re still living with the scars the fight goes on.
'Derek should be here, and should’ve had the chance to tell his own story,' Kate finished. 'Derek: you’re going to get the chance, believe, the hope is real.'
Did Kate Garraway have a heart attack?
Whilst Derek suffered from a heart attack in December, previously Kate left fans concerned that she too had suffered from a heart attack after her book The Strength of Love detailed how she was taken to A&E after experiencing 'excruciating' chest pain.
Kate shared, 'There was a searing pain in my chest — as though someone had punched their fist through my breastbone, snatched hold of my heart and squeezed. The pain was sharp and excruciating. Then I realised that it wasn't a sudden onset of pain. It had been there all the time. My temporary paralysis had distracted me. Then came the thought, "Oh God, was I having a heart attack?". But why was my body reacting like this. Could I be so desperate to help Derek that I'd started having sympathy pains?'
After Kate underwent tests, a cardiologist ruled out that she was having a heart attack before the doctor let her go home.
What is Kate Garraway's net worth?
Anyone following Derek Draper's healthcare journey will be familiar with the sacrifices Kate Garraway has made to care for her husband. In an interview with The Sun earlier this year, Kate opened up about the high costs involved in caring for Derek, and the financial difficulties the family has faced as a result.
'As anyone with a loved one who is seriously ill knows, the costs go through the roof in so many ways. You have to make changes to your home and it affects your ability to work,' she said. 'I had to take long periods off when Derek was first sick, and of course if affects the overall income for the family as he can no longer work. We had to wind up the business we had together, and also I’ve had to take on assistants so that I can focus on Derek when not on air.'
Kate added that there was potentially an assumption the pair had recieved ‘special treatment’ due to her career but added they hadn’t bypassed any waiting lists. ‘We haven’t jumped any queues, which is just as it should be,’ she continued.
In May 2023, Kate was reportedly faced with a £716,000 tax bill, after she was forced to close her husband's psychotherapy firm.