Kate Garraway and Derek Draper faced a gruelling 12-hour flight back to the UK after he suffered a cardiac arrest weeks before he died.
Kate Garraway's husband Derek Draper died last week
The 'Good Morning Britain' presenter's beloved husband passed away in a London hospital last week, after his health took a turn for the worse while they were in Mexico for the psychotherapist - who suffered severe organ damage and other health problems after contracting COVID-19 in March 2020 - to receive specialist treatment.
Kate had returned to London to care for their children Darcey, 17, and 14-year-old Billy but while getting a connecting flight was told her husband had suffered a cardiac arrest, and she returned to his side, before the pair were put on a medical-evacuation plane after Derek was stabilised, and they returned to the UK the week of 11 December.
A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: “It’s been an unbelievably gruelling eight weeks for Kate, and how she is still going is quite remarkable.
“Derek and Kate made the trip to Mexico in November. They did it without fanfare as they didn’t want to get up everyone’s hopes.
“The treatment went incredibly well, and his doctor and all the consultants were hugely optimistic about his long-term progress, and future.
“Unfortunately as Kate excitedly returned to bring Derek home he suffered a cardiac arrest.
“Doctors confirmed this could have happened at any point over the last four years due to the damage to Derek’s organs inflicted by Covid. Quite simply, it was unavoidable.
“Kate was by his side in intensive care in Mexico and worked with Derek’s UK consultants who oversaw his treatment and his return, which was a military operation.
“Under his UK doctor’s guidance, he was flown home by medevac — a specialist and extremely costly, air ambulance — to be put in intensive care at a London hospital.
“This in itself was a huge undertaking and ordeal.
“Unfortunately, despite the doctors in Mexico getting his heart beating stably again, Covid damage meant further complications ultimately affected his chance of recovery.”
The 56-year-old presenter announced Derek's death on Instagram a few days ago.
She wrote in part: “I’m sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away.
“As some of you may know he has been critically ill following a cardiac arrest in early December which, because of the damage inflicted by Covid in March 2020, led to further complications.
“Derek was surrounded by his family in his final days and I was by his side holding his hand throughout the last long hours and when he passed.”
Tagged in Kate Garraway