Kate Garraway and her late husband Derek Draper made a final ITV documentary together, and there’s an important reason why he wanted to take part.
Since contracting Covid in 2020, Draper had suffered from multiple health complications, and Kate, 56, cared for him. The former political lobbyist died aged 56 on January 3 from a cardiac arrest.
The final year of Draper’s life was documented, and the footage will be used in Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story which airs next week. The film confronts the reality of Draper’s struggles and intends to give an unflinching view of the effect on those around him while also capturing real moments of love and joy.
Draper allowed a camera crew into his life to catch it all, because he wanted a voice. ‘I want to be heard,’ he said when asked why he wanted to take part.
Good Morning Britain presenter Kate spoke to Draper about what he hoped the ‘main message’ would be, and he replied: ‘Never give up fighting for what you believe in and for the people you love.’
After Draper passed, Kate wondered whether it should air but decided to forge ahead as she didn’t let down the people who’ve supported them and the carers who ‘feel Derek’s story has given them a voice’.
She highlighted that there are five million unpaid carers in England and Wales and almost half of working-age women in the UK do 45 hours of unpaid care a week. Part of the intention of the documentary is to celebrate ‘carers, both professional and those who do it out of love’.
Kate, who has children Darcey, 18, and Billy, 14, also described it as ‘a rallying cry’ to address what the future should look like.
‘We don’t have to accept just because you become seriously ill or disabled, your life is over.
‘You should still be able to have a full life with family and friends to the best of your situation. And we must find a way in 2024 to make this happen.’
‘I feel a huge responsibility, and rightly so, to speak up for who don’t feel they have a voice,’ she stated.
While deciding what was best to do with the documentary, Kate also recalled an important conversation she had in January 2023 with Draper after he’d spent four months in hospital for sepsis.
‘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”.’
Kate and Derek have made previous Bafta and NTA-winning documentaries about his battles with Covid, Finding Derek and Caring for Derek.
She continued: ‘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.’
The hour-long episode is a ‘tribute to Derek and his incredible spirit’ as well as ‘those who fight on to make every second of life count, whatever is thrown at them.’
Kate and Draper married in 2005, and the documentary will also show how they maintained a close bond throughout his final years.
Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story airs March 26 at 9pm on ITV
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