Kate Garraway's final words to Derek Draper before devastating death exposed
Kate Garraway opened up about the emotional and financial struggles she faced during her husband Derek Draper's health battle
Derek Draper's devastating seven-word plea to Kate Garraway and his children before his death have been disclosed. Derek Draper passed away in January 2024 aged 56 after becoming critically unwell following long-Covid complications, with Kate providing constant care throughout his medical ordeal.
Derek's Story aired on ITV two months later as the concluding instalment in a trilogy of documentaries chronicling the Labour adviser's health struggle, whilst Kate also exposed flaws within the social care system. The programme documented the final year of her husband's life. Throughout the documentary, Derek described himself as 'pathetic' in devastating scenes prior to his passing.
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Kate previously revealed how, whilst seated in the ambulance wearing an oxygen mask before being transported to hospital, he addressed his family one final time, making one last unselfish plea.
Kate disclosed that Derek, a devoted father, told their children Darcey and Billy: "You're the best children anyone could ask for. Look after mum, be good for her."
This marked the final occasion he saw his children before slipping into a coma.
Kate, who hosts Good Morning Britain, then said she wishes to honour Derek by campaigning for reforms in the care system.
She continued: "Having to fight the system that should be there to catch you when you fall but 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."
On the ITV show, Kate disclosed that the monthly cost of Derek's care - £16,000 - exceeded her salary from ITV, leading to a significant accumulation of debt. She also confessed to feeling "ashamed" about the financial predicament caused by her husband's care bills.
She stated: "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."
