January 6th 2024.
Kirstie Allsopp has paid tribute to Derek Draper, her first ever client, who passed away at the age of 56. On Friday January 5, Derek passed away while holding his wife Kate Garraway’s hand.
He suffered a heart attack in December due to the damage Covid inflicted on his body back in 2020. Kate shared the news on Instagram, writing “I’m sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away.”
Kirstie Allsopp, the Location, Location, Location star, has also paid her respects. She shared a moving message on social media, saying “Derek Draper was my first ever client, he was so clever, funny & engaging, and totally fired up about his work with New Labour, but his smartest move was to marry Kate. Her devotion and determination has been extraordinary to see and an amazing example to us all.”
Derek and Kate have been married since 2005, and share two children; daughter Darcey, 17, and son Billy, 14.
Kate also recalled their first date, saying “Derek arrived thinking it was a date and that I was being incredibly cool by ignoring him.” But when she did agree to go on a date, something changed. She said “He’d promised to serve wine at an amateur watercolour painting exhibition at his church. I really thought it was a wind-up. But I turned up and he was indeed serving wine to the congregation in a salmon-pink jumper.”
Draper’s death came nearly four years after he was first diagnosed with Covid in March 2020. He had spent 13 months in hospital, making him Britain’s longest-suffering coronavirus victim. His battle was documented in the personal and brave documentary, Kate Garraway: Finding Derek, and the follow-up Caring for Derek.
The public has been asked to send their support to Kate Garraway and her children after Derek's death. So many famous faces from the political world and beyond have flocked to social media to pay their respects. It is a heartbreaking end to a long and difficult journey.
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