Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway has opened up about spending her first Christmas without her husband Derek Draper.
Derek contracted COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic in 2020 and spent a prolonged period of time in intensive care.
He required round-the-clock care when he was allowed to go home, before sadly passing away in January this year.
Kate is set to join her GMB co-stars Susanna Reid and Ed Balls on Christmas Day (December 25) for a festive edition of the show, which will air at 7am on ITV1 and ITVX.
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The special episode will feature a segment that shines a spotlight on the important work of carers, with Kate candidly sharing how she is preparing to spend her first Christmas without her husband.
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"It's very raw Susanna to be honest. It's very raw," she said. "I mean this time last year, Derek was still alive – very sick.
"We thought it was the toughest Christmas because weirdly in 2020 we had a lot of hope that he was coming out... I think that I am [still] in the early stages of grief... The pain and the feeling is still there."
Kate and Derek share two children, 15-year-old Billy and 18-year-old Darcey, who moved away to university in September.
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Derek's battle with coronavirus was chronicled with three award-winning documentaries, which followed the entire family as they coped with his diagnosis.
Kate Garraway: Finding Derek was released in 2021, followed by Kate Garraway: Caring For Derek in 2022.
Finally, Kate Garraway: Derek's Story premiered in 2024, earning Kate a National Television Award in the Best Authored Documentary category in September.
Good Morning Britain's Christmas episode will also feature music from Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, as well as a performance from the West End cast of The Lion King.
Fans will also be treated to exclusive clips from Emmerdale and Call the Midwife's Christmas specials, with soap stars Ned Porteous and Tony Audenshaw, as well as Call the Midwife star Jenny Agutter teasing the festive storylines.
Good Morning Britain will air on Christmas Day from 7am on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
Sara is an entertainment journalist who specialises in TV and film. After studying journalism at the University of Roehampton, Sara joined Digital Spy in 2023, writing news (and the occasional feature) on all things entertainment. She has also written for the culture desk at The Evening Standard. A lover of all things TV and film, Sara can wax lyrical about everything from Bridgerton to The Witcher. She can also recite entire episodes of New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks and Recreation. In her spare time, Sara loves to knit, crochet and cross-stitch. Also a musical theatre aficionado, Sara counts Samantha Barks as one of her heroes and is a loyal fan of Jodie Comer.
