Kate Garraway admits she’s at ‘the start of her grief’
Kate Garraway has revealed she’s ‘at the beginning of her grief’ journey four months after the death of her husband Derek Draper.
The Good Morning Britain presenter was left devastated when the political lobbyist passed away in January after a four-year battle with Covid.
Speaking to The Mirror at Tuesday’s Prince’s Trust Awards, Kate said that at the moment she’s focused on her two children, Darcey, 18 and Billy, 14, and has been ‘keeping busy’ following Derek’s death.
She said: ”I’m only at the beginning of grief really. I’m just three months in so there are many ups and downs to come.
At the moment it’s about focusing on the youngsters, Billy and Darcy and focusing on doing things like this when I can that I haven’t been able to do.
Kate Garraway has revealed she’s ‘at the beginning of her grief’ journey four months after the death of her husband Derek Draper (pictured at The Prince’s Trust Awards on Tuesday)
The Good Morning Britain presenter was left devastated when the political lobbyist passed away in January after a four-year battle with Covid
‘And at the moment it’s all about keeping busy. I’m sure there will be a moment where I have to stop and deal with it. But at the moment I’m just keeping busy. Help is there. You just have to ask for it.
‘And sometimes you have to ask for it time and time again. And hopefully, organisations like the Prince’s Trust which is particularly good at identifying people, will be there to scoop you up.’
A source close to Kate previously told MailOnline that Kate was mindful of the huge emotional burden her children have had to bear during Derek’s illness and passing.
‘Kate is determined to give her two children the experiences they missed out on during what has been an incredibly tough few years,’ said the friend.
‘They need to get used to life as a family of three, create new memories and look forward.
‘She’s planning on taking them away when work and school allow, and it’ll be a trip which is certainly needed.
‘It’s also what Derek would have wanted, he loved family holidays and it’s something she wants to continue if and when she can.’
Derek was amongst the first in the UK to fall seriously ill with Covid-19, being admitted into an intensive care unit as the country entered lockdown in March 2020.
Speaking to The Mirror at Tuesday’s Prince’s Trust Awards, Kate said that at the moment she’s focused on her two children, Darcey, 18 and Billy, 14
He was one of the country’s longest suffering Covid patients after being in hospital but never fully recovered after the virus left long-lasting damage to his organs and meant he needed round-the-clock care.
Broadcaster Kate has spoken candidly about losing her husband and has also opened up about her perilous financial state, caused by spending so much on his care.
In the moving recent ITV documentary Derek’s Story – filmed over the last eight months of his life – she revealed his care was costing £16,000 a month.
In an emotional admission of the couple’s dire finances, she said: ‘Derek’s care costs more than my salary from ITV and that is before you pay for a mortgage, before you pay any household bills, before you pay for anything for the kids, so we are at a crunch point.
‘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.
One of the ways she pledged to honour former top Labour adviser Derek’s memory was campaigning for a better deal for Britain’s forgotten army of an estimated 10 million unpaid carers.
She spoke movingly in the documentary about the impossible situation faced by those struggling to provide long-term care.
She said: ‘We are entirely reliant on extraordinary carers. But the system in which they work is unbelievably complicated, unbelievably underfunded.
Derek was amongst the first in the UK to fall seriously ill with Covid-19, being admitted into an intensive care unit as the country entered lockdown in March 2020
‘And trying to meet an impossible need. People get sick, and then it’s no longer considered the right thing for them to be in hospital.
‘Why does coming home feel like falling off a cliff?’
After her husband’s death, she reflected: ‘If anybody had a big life, it was Derek. And it’s left a big hole.
‘A lot of people as a way of comforting me, I think, say it must be relief in a way that he’s out of pain, and for you that your day isn’t consumed with caring for him. But there isn’t a relief.’
She added: ‘I think if I have any regrets, it’s every single minute that I didn’t spend holding his hand.
‘Because I had to go and write an email, I had to go and make a phone call having to fight the system that should be there to catch you but which feels when you’re going through it like it’s there to catch you out.
‘And that’s what now I want to be Derek’s legacy to fight on for that change.’
Kate – who owes between £500,000 to £800,000 – told The Times last month: ‘Derek’s needs were clearly so great, yet he didn’t warrant funded care — so you think, ‘If he isn’t getting it, then who is?’
‘To be fair to them, no one’s contacted me since he’s passed away to ask for that. They may well still do, but they haven’t as yet.
‘The bigger picture of the further appeals I haven’t addressed yet, because I’m still in survival mode. It’s supposed to be a system that’s meant to catch you if you fall. But actually, it feels like it’s trying to catch you out.’
Derek suffered a heart attack before Christmas and died on January 3.
