Kate Garraway has said she feels “honoured” to have been by her late husband Derek Draper’s side during his “final hours”.
The former political lobbyist died at the age of 56 on January 3 due to cardiac arrest, after years of multiple health complications after contracting Covid.
Presenter Kate, 56, previously told how she held his hand “during the last long hours and when he passed away” after suffering a heart attack before Christmas.
Speaking on LBC News on Friday, he thanked the doctors and nurses who “fought for his life” and explained that he wanted Derek to know they were “not giving up.”
Recalling his final moments, Kate said: “I wanted him to know that I wouldn’t give up because if you’re trapped like they think he is, inside a body that was very damaged and failing, I didn’t want him to think that.” We were leaving it.
Kate Garraway, 56, has said she feels “honoured” to have been at her late husband Derek Draper’s side during his “last hours”.
The former political lobbyist died at the age of 56 on January 3 due to cardiac arrest, after years of multiple health complications after contracting Covid.
She continued: ‘He lived again and again in situations that they did not believe he could endure. So, I think there’s a little bit of peace, but there’s also a sense of unreality to it.
“I think it was a great honor for me, actually. You can’t thank the people around him enough, who never stopped fighting for his life but somehow managed to hold people back.
‘It was a great honor to be there with him for those last few hours and to have that. I think about all the people during Covid who didn’t have that, and I think about all the circumstances where people don’t have it.
‘Of course, that’s life and things happen to people and that doesn’t mean you can’t be there. “You take what they give you, but I felt like it was wonderful to be able to do that for Derek.”
It comes after Good Morning Britain viewers claimed ITV bosses made “a rookie mistake” by hiring Ben Shephard for This Morning as he works so well with Kate.
Ben, 49, has been a pillar of support for Kate after she returned to the show just days after her husband Derek’s funeral.
As This Morning announced Ben will now be the permanent presenter alongside Cat Deeley following the departures of Holly WIlloughby and Phillip Schofield, some viewers wondered why bosses decided to break up a good TV partnership.
On X, formerly Twitter, one wrote: “Not sure why they would give Ben the job when he works so well with Kate and Susanna on gmb.”
Presenter Kate previously told how she held his hand “during the last long hours and when he passed away” after suffering a heart attack before Christmas (pictured with daughter Darcey and son Billy).
Speaking on LBC News on Friday, he thanked the doctors and nurses who “fought for his life” and explained how he wanted Derek to know they were “not going to give up.”
It comes after Good Morning Britain viewers claimed ITV bosses made “a rookie mistake” by hiring Ben Shephard for This Morning as he works so well with Kate.
Others called for Kate to take on a new role as This Morning presenter alongside Ben.
They wrote: ‘Ben and Kate would have been perfect!’ and “Sad Ben is leaving GMB, he and Kate work very well together.”
Kate spoke about the support Ben gave her during Derek’s health battle and said he had been brilliant in the weeks since her husband’s death, as many did not know what the right thing to say to his family was. .
She said OK! When Derek first got sick in 2020: ‘He’s been phenomenal. For 20 years, Ben has had to do a lot for me, but this year it’s been another level.”