Kate Garraway is set to host a new documentary about the final year of her husband's life.
Kate Garraway is set to host a documentary about her late husband
Derek Draper, Kate's husband, died in January aged 56 after suffering a cardiac arrest, and Kate is set to front a new ITV documentary about the last 12 months of his life, titled 'Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story'.
The 56-year-old TV presenter - who married Derek in 2005 - said: "Obviously, when we started making this documentary early last year, we had no idea the events that would unfold that ultimately took Derek from us.
"And in January 2024, I wondered if it was right that it should ever come to air.
"But I didn’t want to let those who have given us so much support over the last four years down, and the carers paid and unpaid who, in their thousands of letters to me, feel Derek’s story has given them a voice.
"Also, I remembered so vividly that the idea of making this third documentary at all came from Derek himself."
The upcoming documentary will explore Derek's struggles with COVID-19 and the care he required.
Kate has hailed the project - which will air later this month - as a "tribute" to her late husband.
She said: "I am delighted that the film is a tribute to Derek, his incredible spirit and a tribute to all of those who fight on to make every second of life count, whatever is thrown at them."
Jo Clinton-Davis, the controller of factual at ITV, is also keen to share Derek's story with TV viewers.
Jo said: "We can see in Derek Draper’s story the individual tragedy of a life devastated by illness, but also the wider perspective of how a family is impacted.
"Derek’s desire for his story to be filmed, along with Kate in their home, provides an insight into both their personal struggles as well highlighting the exhausting challenges of caring for a family member in the home within our care system."
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