Kate Garraway said completing an ITV documentary about her husband Derek Draper following his death “has been so hard”.
The Good Morning Britain presenter will explore the final year of her husband’s life, as he struggled with the long-lasting symptoms of coronavirus and required daily care, in a new film titled Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story.
Garraway previously chronicled the impact of caring for her husband, who died aged 56 in January, in two other ITV documentaries titled Finding Derek and Caring For Derek.
“We had to find a way of allowing Derek’s voice to be heard and while having to finish it without him has been so hard, I am delighted that the film is a tribute to Derek and his incredible spirit,” Garraway said.
“It’s also a tribute to all of those who fight on to make every second of life count, whatever is thrown at them.”
When asked why he wanted to take part in this film, Draper previously said: “I want to be heard.”
Garraway said she remembers “vividly” that the idea for the third documentary came from Draper, who said he wanted the main message to be “never give up fighting for what you believe in and for the people you love”.
“I hadn’t planned to make another one,” Garraway said.
“At the beginning of January 2023, he’d been released from a four-month spell in hospital for sepsis and we were very positive about his recovery. Derek was determined to keep on getting better and improving.
“One day, we were sitting together while I was caring for him and he suddenly, from nowhere, asked, ‘Are we making another documentary?’
“I said, ‘Well I hadn’t really planned to. Were you thinking that you would like to?’ And he said firmly ‘yes’.
“I said, ‘Well, if we do, I think we should work on it together and it should be your story, told in your voice’.
“Derek got very emotional at the idea, because his words and speech were so limited and there were so many things he wanted to say about the struggle we were all having as a family and he wanted to speak up about it.”
Garraway said following her husband’s death that she “wondered if it was right that it should ever come to air” but she said she felt a “huge responsibility” to speak up for those who did not feel they had a voice.
The film will also highlight the cost of caring for a loved one in the UK.
“Dealing with our grief as a family has been so hard, and we have a long way to go of course. But we are also so grateful to have had the chance to care for Derek and have the extra four years with him that so many don’t,” she said.
“I now want to highlight the incredible people within the care system, and the NHS, who are trying to improve how people like myself and Derek can be better supported.”
Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story airs on Tuesday March 26 at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX and STV.
