Kate Garraway received support from Good Morning Britain colleagues past and present on Friday as they gathered to pay their respects to Derek Draper, following his death aged 56.
Family and friends gathered at St Mary the Virgin Church in Primrose Hill for a memorial service followed by his burial.
Ben Shephard and Susanna Reid were among the first to arrive, followed by Piers Morgan and Charlotte Hawkins.
Fiona Phillips was also seen in public with her husband, ITV executive Martin Frizell, for the first time since being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Derek was one of the first in the UK to become seriously ill with Covid-19 and was admitted to an intensive care unit when the country went into lockdown in March 2020.
Susanna Reid was among mourners at Derek Draper’s funeral on Friday while Kate Garraway was supported by Good Morning Britain colleagues past and present.
Richard Arnold and Charlotte Hawkins attended the ceremony.
Laura Tobin held Alex Beresford’s arm as they headed to the toilet.
Kate Garraway was accompanied by her two children, Darcey, 17, and Billy, 11, at the ceremony.
He was one of the worst Covid patients in the country after being in hospital, but never fully recovered after the virus left lasting damage to his organs and meant he needed 24-hour care.
Derek suffered a heart attack before Christmas and never recovered.
Kate revealed that her husband died while she held his hand “during the last long hours and when he passed away” on January 5.
The Good Morning Britain star, 56, announced the death of her husband of 18 years on Instagram, saying: “Rest in peace and quiet now Derek my love, I was so lucky to have you in my life.”
Derek suffered a heart attack before Christmas after a long battle with Covid.
Kate, who had two children with Derek, Darcey, 17, and youngest Billy, 11, said: “I’m sad to have to tell everyone that my beloved husband Derek has passed away.”
‘Derek was surrounded by his family in his final days and I was at his side holding his hand during the last long hours and when he passed away.
‘I have much more to say, and of course I will in due time, but for now I just want to thank all the medical teams who fought so hard to save him and make his final moments as comfortable and dignified as possible.’ .
Susanna looked somber as she was one of the first to arrive at the funeral.
Richard was there to support Charlotte when they arrived at the church together.
Ben Shephard was one of the first celebrities to arrive to support Kate.
Kate’s former Good Morning Britain co-star Piers Morgan arrived to share his respects.
Derek suffered a heart attack before Christmas and never recovered (pictured with Kate in 2019)
He added: “As some of you will know, he has been seriously ill following a cardiac arrest in early December which, due to the damage inflicted by Covid in March 2020, led to further complications.
‘Sending so much love and gratitude to all of you who have so generously provided so much support to our family. Rest in peace and quiet now Derek, my love, I was so lucky to have you in my life.
Derek was a former researcher for Blairite Peter Mandelson, who became a New Labor adviser and then retrained as a psychotherapist after a series of political and lobbying scandals.
After becoming embroiled in the so-called “cash-for-access” scandal, dubbed “lobbygate,” he traveled to the United States, where he retrained as a psychotherapist.
In 2005, he married Kate, the GMTV co-presenter who is now part of the Good Morning Britain team on ITV and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2007 and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in November 2019.
Derek had been plagued by health problems after contracting Covid in 2020 and went into cardiac arrest in early December, and Kate spent Christmas in hospital.
Derek’s medical case attracted a lot of media attention, partly due to his marriage to Kate and partly because of the length of his stay in the hospital.
Some media reported that he had become the country’s longest-suffering patient after spending 13 months in hospital.
In early July 2022, Kate revealed that Derek had been readmitted to hospital and later that month he quit hosting Good Morning Britain as his condition worsened.
The following February, the ITV series Kate Garraway: Caring for Derek aired on ITV and documented Draper’s arrival home from hospital as it followed Garraway as she navigated the “countless challenges of the social care system and its complexities”.
Derek was pictured at his wife’s side in June, despite being in and out of hospital, as she collected her MBE from the Prince of Wales at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
In December, The Sun reported that Derek had “suffered a massive heart attack” and said Kate was watching his bed 24/7.