Kate Garraway is set to return to work on Monday for an emotional interview on Good Morning Britain just three days after her beloved husband Derek Draper’s funeral.
The GMB host, 56, will give a live interview to the show from her house before rejoining her co-host Ben Shephard later in the week.
The heartbroken mother, whose husband passed away aged 56 last month following a devastating battle with long-Covid, reportedly told friends she desires to keep busy and immerse herself in work as she continues to grieve.
A source told The Sun: ‘Kate has had an incredibly rough past couple of months, and it has taken its toll mentally and physically.
‘But she is a workhorse, and journalism, being on live TV, runs through her blood – it’s what she knows and loves.’
She was last seen on GMB on December 8, and is provisionally scheduled to return to TV full-time, although ITV have offered their full support and said she can take time off when she needs.
A source added: ‘Kate’s well- being is everyone’s main concern.’
They added: ‘It’s not a decision she’s taken lightly but she’s genuinely excited to get back into the studio.’
Devoted Kate had been by Derek’s side for every step of his illness since he first contracted COVID-19 in March 2020, when the pandemic first hit the UK.
The mother and TV presenter revealed she was holding Derek’s hand as he took his last breath on Friday, January 3 this year.
Kate gave a loving tribute to her late husband at his ‘heart-wrenching’ funeral this week where Sir Elton John reduced the congregation to tears with a song after Tony Blair gave the eulogy.
Kate wore her husband’s watch ‘so that she could carry a little piece of him on the day’ at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Primrose Hill, where the couple married 18 years ago.
Kate was with her ‘brave’ two children. Darcey, 17, helped carry her father’s coffin to and from the altar and son William, 13, known to friends and family as Billy, held his mother’s hand throughout. The children left notes on wreaths on the coffin, which said: ‘I love you with all my heart’ and ‘I love you dad’.
Ms Garraway clutched the hands of her two children as they waited for the coffin to arrive outside the church, which was packed with some of Britain’s most famous people.
The Good Morning Britain host’s daughter Darcey, helped carry her father’s coffin to and from the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Primrose Hill – where her parents married in 2005.
The GMB presenter tightly clutched her son William’s hand as they followed the coffin, briefly looking to the sky.
Garraway, 56, wearing a long black coat and pearl necklace, entered the church and and greeted guests ahead of Draper being laid to rest and family followed behind.
A source close to Kate said: ‘Kate wore Derek’s watch so that she could carry a little piece of him on the day, and everyone was, of course, so kind to her. Quite simply, the public outpouring of support has kept her going. It was a heart-wrenching day, but an incredible send-off for a wonderful man’.
The funeral fell on Candlemas Day, meaning the congregation left holding candles, which were lit in the church as Sir Elton performed Skyline Pigeon – the B-side to 1972 hit Daniel – ‘in tribute to Derek’.
Its poignant lyrics include: ‘Turn me loose from your hands, let me fly to distant lands, over green fields, trees and mountains, home along the lanes of the skyway’.
The order of service also paid tribute to the singer, who had become a ‘dear friend’ and ‘supported them right from the very first day’ that Derek had fallen ill with Covid-19 at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Derek was the guest of honour at a gig last year.
There was also a speech by friend Sir Tony Blair and the congregation, which also included David Furnish, Sir Keir Starmer and a host of past and present Good Morning Britain presenters, sang the hymns Lord of the Dance and The Lord is My Shepherd.
Sir Elton arrived at the packed north London church with his husband David Furnish, shortly after Myleene Klass. Sir Tony Blair and Sir Keir Starmer were amongst the big names from the world of politics. Derek Draper worked for New Labour for many years, including for former boss Peter Mandelson, who also attended.
Kate’s past and present Good Morning Britain colleagues were also out in force to support her on a tragic day. Ben Shephard and Susanna Reid were amongst the first to arrive followed by Piers Morgan and Charlotte Hawkins. Fiona Phillips was seen in public with her ITV exec husband Martin Frizell for the first time since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Journalist Robert Peston, talent manager Jonathan Shalit, former political editor of GMTV and ex-Labour MP Gloria De Piero and former Sky News political editor Adam Boulton also headed into the church.
Kate was seen dancing with her late husband Derek Draper in a heartbreaking clip shared by her pal Myleene Klass on Friday.
Derek was among the first in the UK to fall seriously ill with Covid-19 and was admitted to an intensive care unit as the country entered lockdown in March 2020.
After attending the lobbyist’s funeral Myleene remembered her friend with a clip of him and wife Kate dancing together.
‘Til you’re dancing together again. Derek Draper, RIP. Your wife and children did you proud,’ the singer wrote.
Elton John’s song Skyline Pigeon was heard playing over the short video as Kate, dressed in a sequinned dress was pulled in close by Derek on the dancefloor.
Mr Draper was among the first in the UK to fall seriously ill with Covid-19 and was admitted to an intensive care unit as the country entered lockdown in March 2020.
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.
Derek had attended few public events over the last few years.
But he suffered a heart attack before Christmas and never recovered. Kate revealed Derek died as she held his hand ‘throughout the last long hours and when he passed’ on January 3 aged 56 after suffering long-lasting symptoms from coronavirus.
The Good Morning Britain star, 56, announced the death of her husband of 18 years on Instagram and said: ‘Rest gently and peacefully now Derek, my love, I was so lucky to have you in my life.’
Derek suffered a heart attack before Christmas following a long battle with Covid.
Kate, who had two children with Derek, Darcey, 17, and their youngest, Billy, 11, said: ‘I’m sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away.
‘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’.
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.
‘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.’
A prominent figure in New Labour in the 1990s, Mr Draper worked for Blairite Peter Mandelson and set up the Progress organisation with Liam Byrne, who went on to become an MP.
In 2021, Ms Garraway won a prize at the National Television Awards for the documentary Finding Derek, about her family’s experience during the pandemic.
It detailed her husband’s treatment and his subsequent return to their family home.
In July 2022, Garraway confirmed Mr Draper had been readmitted to hospital and later that month it was reported that his condition had worsened.
Former lobbyist and political adviser Mr Draper was part of one of Britain’s most prominent media power couples.
The New Labour spin doctor reached great heights of influence in the 1990s but became best known for his involvement in the ‘lobbygate’ scandal.
A former researcher for Blairite Peter Mandelson, Mr Draper became a director of lobbying firm GPC Market Access in 1996 and set up the New Labour organisation Progress with Liam Byrne, who went on to become an MP.
It was while working at GPC that Mr Draper was caught on tape boasting to an undercover journalist of his government connections.
In one of the first sleaze scandals to hit Tony Blair’s fledgling administration, he reportedly claimed: ‘There are 17 people who count in this government, and to say I am intimate with all of them is the understatement of the century.’
Mr Draper insisted he had done nothing wrong in the so-called ‘cash for access’ scandal dubbed ‘lobbygate’ but admitted he did have a ‘big mouth’.
The incident appeared to spell the end of any bigger political ambitions for the famously champagne-swilling New Labour stalwart and he travelled to the United States, where he trained as a psychotherapist.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
