Kate Garraway’s husband Derek Draper passed away at the very beginning of 2024 on 5 January. His death came after suffering a major heart attack in December while undergoing treatment in Mexico.
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After being rushed back to the UK, Draper stayed in the hospital where, unfortunately, he died. This occurred more than three years after contracting Covid-19 and suffering from intense side effects.
Throughout this medical journey, Kate Garraway chose to be very transparent. She spoke about it numerous times in interviews, in autobiographies and in the ITV documentaries Finding Derek and Caring For Derek. In those, Garraway showed how much her husband’s illness forced her and her family to adapt.
Adapting to Derek’s illness had major costs
Over the weekend of 13 January 2024, whispers started going around saying that Kate Garraway needed to sell her £4million London home because caring for Derek had put her in financial troubles.
Daily Mail reports that all the treatments and adjustments to the house cost her hundreds of thousands of pounds. An anonymous source referred to as a ‘friend’ told the tabloid:
It has cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to look after Derek and do everything she could to get him better but it's left her struggling.
The house is about all she has left financially and she is now facing up to the fact it might have to be sold.
This supposed friend also speaks about how the financial weight of this personal nightmare has plagued Garraway’s mind in the last year. The ‘friend’ continued to explain that this possible decision to sell the house was a very difficult one.
It's where she and Derek were so happy and also where her two children grew up – but bills are bills and they have to be paid. It's dreadful for Kate.
Kate Garraway on her financial situation
Though these allegations about selling her house were new in January 2024, Kate Garraway had already spoken about the financial cost on top of the emotional one of caring for Derek.
In 2021 she said:
It's been tough financially. As anyone with a loved one who is seriously ill knows, the costs go through the roof in so many ways
You have to make changes to your home and it affects your ability to work.
I had to take long periods off when Derek was first sick and it affects the overall income for the family, as he can no longer work.
Through the years Garraway had to completely redesign her home to make it accessible as Derek was in a wheelchair. It is reported that a lift was fitted as well as a new wet room and a downstairs bedroom. Garraway's colleague Ben Shephard described her home as ‘having a ward at home’ on This Morning.
A debt of £800,000
In March 2024, Garraway gave an interview to The Times in which it is written that she faces a debt of up to £800,000. The Daily Mail reported on what Garraway had to say about it:
Derek's needs were clearly so great, yet he didn’t warrant funded care
In the interview she also explains that, so far, no one has asked for the money back but she knows it is coming. She also talked about how she is doing only a couple of months after the death of her beloved husband. The presenter revealed that she is in 'survival mode'.
Highlighting the issues with the system when it comes to the care of ill patients she said:
The bigger picture of the further appeals I haven’t addressed yet, because I’m still in survival mode. It’s supposed to be a system that’s meant to catch you if you fall. But actually, it feels like it’s trying to catch you out.
Revelations in Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story
In the documentary which aired on ITV on 26 March 2024, Garraway addressed her financial issues. The Independent reports her words:
I’m not going to pretend that I’m poorly paid. I have an incredible job that I love, which is well paid. But it’s not enough.
She explained that the care for her husband rounded up to £16,000 per month. She also added:
I am in debt and I can’t earn enough to cover my debt because I am managing Derek’s care
In 2023, Mirror reported that her annual salary from ITV was around £544,000. On top of that Garraway has a show on Smooth Radio. These two things combined give her an alleged net worth of £1.5 million.
Kate Garraway since the death of Derek
A few days after Draper passed away Kate Garraway sent a video message to Good Morning Britainwhere she thanked fans and viewers for the messages of support. In that video she also asserted that she would be back to the show.
I look forward to waking up with you very soon again on Good Morning Britain to celebrate life in all its wonder and challenge again.
As she promised, Garraway returned to Good Morning Britain on 8 February 2024. This was a very emotional comeback and, on the show, she thanked the team as well as viewers for their continuous support. She also addressed her decision to return so quickly after the funeral.
She said:
I think some people say ‘why are you going back to work?’. Well, everybody does have to, don’t they? Life has to start.
Kate Garraway's professional future
Since Garraway and her family started going through those difficult times, the presenter wrote two books about the journey. Though this one might take some time, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if she chose to write a third book.
Finally, at the beginning of March 2024, several publications including The Standard alleged that talks were happening about Kate Garraway doing a third documentary with ITV but this time focusing on the ‘broken care system’. On 23 March, The Sun confirmed those rumours and revealed that the new documentary would even include Derek Draper speaking on his situation.
This new documentary called Derek's Story is still being made in partnership with ITV and will air on Tuesday 26 Mars 2024 at 9pm.
Read more:
⋙ Kate Garraway forced herself to do this when her husband was in a coma: 'I searched his last...'
⋙ Piers Morgan: The TV presenter's touching tribute to Kate Garraway after her husband's passing
⋙ Kate Garraway: A doctor explains why Derek's health deteriorated after getting Covid
Sources:
Daily Mail: Inside Kate Garraway's £4million family home with a redesigned ground floor as it's revealed she may be forced to sell after late husband Derek Draper's round-the-clock care 'wiped her out financially'
The Sun: Kate Garraway reveals reason behind her tough financial struggles before being hit with huge £716k tax bill
The Standard: Kate Garraway says husband Derek’s Covid journey has been ‘tough financially’
Mirror: What is Kate Garraway's net worth? GMB presenter's incredible salary revealed
Daily Mail: Kate Garraway admits she's in 'survival mode' as she faces up to £800,000 debt for late husband Derek Draper's care
The Telegraph: Kate Garraway returns to GMB: ‘Being called a widow for the first time took my breath away’
The Sun: Kate Garraway’s late husband Derek Draper’s final days will be shown in documentary that captured him speaking on camera
The Independent: Kate Garraway says her ITV salary doesn’t cover care debt for late husband Derek Draper
