05 February 2024 , 10:42
904
0
Kate Garraway was interrupted by her and Derek Draper’s 14-year-old son Bill as she made an emotional return to ITV on Monday morning.
Kate, 56, appeared on Good Morning Britain this morning , having lost her husband Derek on January 3. Derek had been suffering from long term complications after he contracted coronavirus back in 2020. He had slowly been recovering but tragically suffered a heart attack at the end of last year, and passed away last month.
As doting mum Kate, who also shares 17-year-old daughter Darcey with her late husband, spoke about everything from her decision to return to work so soon after Derek’s death to the letter she’d received from the Princess of Wales, she became distracted by Bill, who was getting ready for school. The moment was all the more poignant as it echoed Kate’s sentiment that life must go on without Derek.
Tearful Kate Garraway makes Good Morning Britain return days after Derek Draper's funeral
Noticing that Bill was late for school, Kate looked at her son, who was off camera (ITV)Kate had been telling GMB viewers: “A new life starts now. I don’t quite know how it’s going to be, but grief isn’t containable is it? Some people say, ‘Why [are] you going back to work?’ Well, everybody does have to, don’t they? Life has to start any minute now.” Noticing that her son Bill was late for school, Kate then added while looking at her son, who was off camera: “In fact he’s late actually. Bill’s going to have to go to school - in fact, somebody better tell him to hurry up [or] I’ll be in trouble with the teachers.”
Richard 'shuts up' GMB guest who says Hancock 'deserved' being called 'd***head'
Elsewhere in her moving interview, Kate discussed Derek's final moments and
“Derek had never been in a more positive place than he was before the cardiac arrest that led to these events,” she told Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley. “It was the furthest from the spectrum of death we’ve ever been. Then it was one of those stop the clock moments. We were then told we had 24 hours but it turned out that he held on for a month."
Kate revealed in Derek's final moments, she and her children had told him not to worry about them, with Darcey telling him "we'll be okay". Darcey said to her father: "Dad if you can't do this we’ll be okay, release yourself."
Kate also shares 17-year-old daughter Darcey with her late husband (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Kate revealed that at the end, Derek couldn't open his eyes or speak. Alone in the room when her husband passed away, she detailed the moment she had to break the news to their children he was gone - with son Billy taking her back with his response. He told her: "I'm so sorry mum," with her telling her co-hosts that her reaction was: "Oh my God, they really have taken onboard a caring role."
After Richard asked Kate how she managed to keep it all together all the way through Derek's sickness, the mum-of-two explained: "I'm not sure I did it very well. I think I relied on everyone else. I think I have a massive debt to a lot of people - especially Derek.
"The children have also been extraordinary throughout it all. It feels like five years and also five minutes since I was in the studio." Kate revealed her daughter Darcey’s role as a pallbearer at the funeral service was her own decision, saying: "She insisted on doing it and I thought it was a beautiful thing."