Kate Garraway has opened up about the heartbreaking plans she and her late husband, Derek Draper, had for the future before his tragic passing. 

The television presenter, who has been a familiar face on Good Morning Britain, shared how they had dreamed of traveling together once their children had grown up and left home.

Derek, a former political advisor turned psychotherapist, tragically passed away at the age of 56 in early 2024 after a lengthy battle with complications stemming from Covid-19. 

His health struggles began in 2020 when he was among the first in the UK to contract a severe case of the virus, which led to his hospitalization and prolonged health complications. 

Despite surviving the initial infection, his organs had suffered extensive damage, and he required around-the-clock care.

Kate, 57, spoke candidly about how she and Derek had always envisioned a future filled with adventure, planning to travel the world together once their children, 

Darcey, 18, and Billy, 15, became more independent. However, with Derek’s passing, those dreams have taken on a bittersweet note.

“It’s sad in a way, because it’s a time that Derek and I always said we’d travel together and do more grown-up things. We used to love traveling and holidays,” Kate revealed in a recent interview.

Despite the sorrow of losing her husband, Kate remains determined to honor his wishes by continuing to embrace life. She shared that Derek wanted her and their children to remain positive and move forward.

“I can begin to see a new positivity for the three of us – I am hoping. Where we don’t look back and remember, ‘This time last year we were doing this or that with Dad,’ but focus on the future,” she explained. “Derek would want me to be grabbing life because you learn how fast, and how easily, it can be snatched away. I know he’d be saying, ‘You’ve got to get out and live, because I can’t.’”

The grieving process has been particularly difficult for Kate, especially during milestone moments. She previously spoke about how the holiday season was an especially emotional time as it marked her first Christmas without Derek.

Speaking to her Good Morning Britain co-host Susanna Reid, she admitted, “It’s very raw, Susanna, to be honest. It’s very raw. I mean, this time last year, Derek was still alive – very sick. We thought it was the toughest Christmas because, weirdly, in 2020, we had a lot of hope that he was coming out.”

Kate acknowledged that she is still in the early stages of grief and that the emotions remain overwhelming. “The pain and the feeling is still there,” she shared.

She also expressed solidarity with others experiencing grief, recognizing how difficult it can be during special occasions. “It’s a tough one this year, and anyone experiencing grief, it does hit you when you feel something which is full of tradition, where you have memories. It comes back,” she said. “I’m thinking about everybody else that’s feeling it.”

Derek’s health battle was widely followed by the public as Kate documented their family’s struggles in an award-winning documentary, Finding Derek, which aired in 2021. The film provided an intimate look into the challenges they faced, winning praise for its honesty and emotional depth.

Derek had initially contracted Covid-19 in March 2020, just as the UK entered its first national lockdown. He was placed in an induced coma and spent more than a year in the hospital before finally being able to return home in April 2021. Despite beating the virus itself, the damage it caused to his organs left him needing continuous medical care.

Kate remained devoted to Derek throughout his illness, balancing her career with her role as a caregiver. She often spoke about the difficulties of navigating his health struggles while raising their two children and maintaining her professional commitments. Her resilience and openness about the realities of being a caregiver were widely admired.

As Kate now faces life without Derek, she is focusing on moving forward while keeping his memory alive. Although their travel plans will never come to fruition as they had once imagined, she remains committed to embracing the future, as Derek would have wanted.

Her strength in the face of adversity has resonated with many, serving as an inspiration to those who have experienced loss. While the pain of Derek’s passing remains fresh, Kate is determined to carry on, cherishing the memories they shared while creating new ones with their children.

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