Kate Garraway has delivered a poignant message to anyone caring for an unwell loved one, reflecting on her own grief journey following the death of her husband, Derek Draper, in 2024. The 59-year-old emphasised how vital it is to express your feelings to people while you still can.
The presenter's husband died in January 2024 at the age of 56, having deteriorated after suffering a cardiac arrest in early December just weeks earlier. At the time, he was also dealing with long-standing health issues stemming from Covid.
Final hours together
Reflecting on this challenging time, Kate expressed gratitude that she had the opportunity to share everything she needed to with him before his passing. The Good Morning Britain host remembered being reassured repeatedly that, despite him being unconscious, he might still have been capable of hearing her and their children.
Speaking on the Great Company with Jamie Laing podcast, she said: "I was lucky enough to be there for the last sort of 48 hours until he finally did pass away, which is really special I think."
"And, to be able to hold his hand and continue to talk [to him] because, one of the last things that goes and comes back in any state of unconsciousness or coma is hearing so, even the most cynical doctor would say, 'Don't stop talking' because we won't know if he doesn't make it whether he could hear you and if he comes back, it's no problem that he was hearing you," she explained.
A heartbreaking exchange
"So we were talking the whole time, talking about music and that was lovely but I remember once when I felt like he was really struggling to breathe, and by this point the breathing was assisted, and he just looked up, I said to him, 'You look so beaten up darling'.
"And I said, 'Look, if you can't do this anymore, we know. We'll be fine'. And he did for a second stop breathing and I was like, 'This is okay' and then he took this most enormous breath and I said, 'Okay then we'll keep going'."
Kate also remembered telling Derek that she would "never give up" on talking to him, pledging she would carry on until he could no longer hold on. That heartbreaking moment, she explained, served as a powerful reminder of the importance of expressing love to those closest to us.
A lesson for everyone
"It does remind you that actually, it's a cliché but it's true, that you don't know when the last moment is so never wait to say 'I love you', never wait to say 'Give me a hug', never wait to say 'I'm sorry', never wait to say 'I don't say it enough, but you're amazing at that'. You just have to, but we all forget."
The pair had been married for 19 years before his death and shared two children, Darcey, 20, and Billy, 16. Kate is believed to now be in a relationship with Liam Halligan, a former political commentator who was acquainted with Derek.
