‘He was on the up’ say heartbroken viewers as they hear Kate Garraway’s husband Derek speak weeks before his death
KATE Garraway fans have been left heartbroken after seeing how far her husband Derek Draper had come in his recovery before he died.
In Kate’s latest documentary, Derek was seen answering questions and reading out his wife’s birthday cards while propped up in bed.
Derek became known as the nation’s longest-suffering Covid patient after contracting the virus in March 2020.
Tragically, the former PR man fell seriously ill in December 2023 after suffering a cardiac arrest and slipping into a coma. He passed away aged 56 in January.
But in Kate’s new documentary, Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story, fans were amazed to see how much progress Derek had made prior to his death.
Kate, 56, had previously let the cameras into their London home to film two other shows; Kate Garraway: Finding Derek and Kate Garraway: Caring For Derek.
They aired in 2021 and 2022 on ITV1 but Derek was seen lying in bed or sitting in a wheelchair and unable to speak.
In comparison, Derek managed to walk across the kitchen with a zimmer frame just nine days before he died in Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story.
The former lobbyist and political adviser was also seen reading out Kate’s birthday cards to her as their 14-year-old Billy alongside them.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer said: “What’s hitting me most is how much #Derek had improved.. he was on the up So sad for Kate, Darcey & Billy.”
Another added: “Hearing Derek speak oh @kategarraway you truly are such an inspiration.”
And a third wrote: “Really tragic to see how much Derek had improved. So much more cognisant.
“Seems so unfair to see how hard he tried to get better. I’m glad this doc is showing the man he was. Underneath he still had his core principles; he wanted ‘equality’.”
Kate and Derek filmed their final documentary for ITV together last year.
Throughout the hour-long show, Kate repeatedly highlighted the severe lack of funding for social care in the UK.
The honest mum-of-two also admitted she had been plunged into debt as Derek’s bills for his care spiralled out of control.
Despite his lengthy list of needs, Kate and her family were denied any Government funding, meaning the TV presenter had to hire in help at a large cost to the family.
The final scenes of her documentary saw Kate in her family home a month after Derek’s passing.
His makeshift downstairs bedroom had been returned to the dining room it previously had been in early 2020 before Derek got sick.
Kate explained to the cameras that she felt no relief by her husband’s death. She then vowed to continue fighting for more funding for carers as a way of marking his legacy.