April 29th 2024.
Kate Garraway and her family are preparing for their first holiday since the passing of her husband, Derek Draper. As a co-host of Good Morning Britain, Kate has been open about her grief and the difficult journey her family has been on since Derek's death earlier this year. He was just 56 years old and had been battling complications from Covid for a long time.
In a moving documentary titled Finding Derek, Kate and their two children, Darcey and Billy, shared their experience of caring for Derek and the challenges they faced. The documentary received high praise and even won a National Television Award. Now, as the family plans their first holiday without Derek, Kate admits it will be both lovely and challenging.
"We will get a family holiday. But it's going to be a bit challenging because it's a different kind of family set up that we have now," Kate shared with MailOnline. Despite the challenges, she remains positive and says they will do something lovely together.
Derek's battle with Covid began in 2020 when he was among the first people in the UK to contract the virus. The virus caused significant damage to his internal organs, leading to a prolonged hospital stay and being placed into a coma for two months. Even after his initial diagnosis, Derek continued to require round-the-clock care for over 18 months. He even sought experimental treatment in Mexico, which showed some progress but was still a long road to recovery.
Unfortunately, Derek suffered a cardiac arrest in December 2023 and passed away shortly after. His funeral was attended by several prominent figures, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Sir Elton John. Kate and Derek had been married for 19 years and share two children together.
In addition to the emotional toll, Derek's illness also had a significant financial impact on the family. As Kate shared with The Times, she is currently in debt of between £500,000 and £800,000 due to the high cost of his care. She explained that his care alone costs more than her salary from ITV, and even with the support of friends and family, it's a constant struggle.
"I am in debt. I can't earn enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek's care and I can't even use the money I do have to support Derek's recovery because it's going on the basics all the time," Kate revealed. His care costs around £16,000 a month, which is more than her salary and becomes even more challenging when factoring in their mortgage.
Despite the difficulties, Kate remains strong and continues to share her story in hopes of spreading awareness about the long-term effects of Covid. She encourages anyone with a celebrity story to reach out to The Agency entertainment team, as they would love to hear from you.
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