'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUG/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAI2oGn//xAAgEAACAQQBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAACAwEABAYREhMUMTJS/9oACAEBAAE/AMAzMmvdYdoAdHS1n55fW6ddibmFKg3JTPrX/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL/2gAIAQIBAT8Al//EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAEDAQE/ALf/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Friday, March 15, Kate Garraway, the former ITV Daybreak presenter, discussed the challenges of making her upcoming documentary Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story on Good Morning Britain with co-presenter Susanna Reid.
On the show, when Garraway revealed that, following her husband, Derek Draper's death in January, she was unsure about how to move forward with the documentary, she was then reminded of what her husband wanted the message of the documentary to reflect.
“You’ve gotta carry on fighting for what’s right and for the people you love," Derek Draper had said.
Draper passed away in January 2024 after being known as the nation’s longest-suffering COVID-19 patient.
Garraway's documentary is the third featuring the political advisor, author, and psychotherapist, who was 51 when he died. The earlier documentaries Finding Derek and Caring for Derek were released on ITV in 2021 and 2024, respectively.
Kate Garraway revealed how the idea for the third documentary came from Derek
On the show, Kate Garraway recounted how Derek came up with the idea for the third documentary.
“In the beginning of last year, we were sitting together and he suddenly said, ‘are we making another documentary?’ and I said, ‘well, I hadn’t really planned to. Were you thinking you would like to?’. And he firmly said, ‘Yes’," Garraway said.
The journalist also stated that she didn’t favor making another documentary. Derek had just been released from four months in the hospital for sepsis, and the couple was “very positive” about his recovery. Garraway shared how Derek “was determined to keep on getting better and improving.”
During the show, Kate also revealed how Derek got emotional as she proposed the documentary being “told in his voice.”
“Derek got very emotional at the idea because his words and speech were so limited. There were so many things he wanted to say about the struggle we were all having as a family and he wanted to speak up about it," she further said.
According to Kate Garraway, the upcoming documentary is “a way of allowing Derek’s voice to be heard,” even though “finishing it without him [had been] so hard.” Garraway also described the film as “a tribute to Derek and his incredible spirit.”
Kate Garraway married Derek Draper in 2005, and the couple also have two children. In April 2020, Draper came down with a COVID-19 infection and was rushed to the hospital, where he spent the next 214 days on a ventilator.
His hospitalization included a 4-month coma, following which he lost his ability to speak properly. Draper was finally moved back home in April 2021 but was again hospitalized in August 2022 for the treatment of “life-threatening” sepsis.
In December 2023, when Derek was at home with Kate by his side, he suffered a major heart attack. On January 3, 2024, the psychotherapist passed away. Garraway supported and cared for her husband throughout his 4-year-long health battle.
According to ITV, the upcoming documentary will air on March 26 at 9 am on ITV1, ITVX, and STV.
Obsessed with Crosswords, Wordle, and other word games? Take our quick survey and let us get to know you better!
