Good Morning Britain's Kate Garraway has announced the death of her husband Derek Draper, aged 56.
The TV presenter shared an Instagram post paying tribute to her late husband, a former political lobbyist, and explaining the circumstances leading up to his death.
"I'm sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away," she wrote.
"As some of you may know he has been critically ill following a cardiac arrest in early December which, because of the damage inflicted by Covid in March 2020, led to further complications."
Related: Good Morning Britain stars send "best wishes" to Kate Garraway following Derek hospitalisation
Kate continued: "Derek was surrounded by his family in his final days and I was by his side holding his hand throughout the last long hours and when he passed.
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"I have so much more to say, and of course I will do so in due course, but for now I just want to thank all the medical teams who fought so hard to save him and to make his final moments as comfortable and dignified as possible."
She concluded: "Sending so much love and thanks to all of you who have so generously given our family so much support.
"Rest gently and peacefully now Derek, my love. I was so lucky to have you in my life."
Related: Kate Garraway confirms husband Derek has been hospitalised again
Derek Draper became ill from Covid-19 in March 2020 and spent 13 months in hospital battling the effects of the virus.
His wife Kate regularly shared updates on her husband's progress while appearing on Good Morning Britain and in 2022, ITV released the documentary Kate Garraway: Finding Derek detailing Derek's battle with long Covid.
In December 2023, Derek was re-admitted to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest. Good Morning Britain host Charlotte Hawkins had shared the news with viewers on Kate's behalf, confirming he was "sadly in a very serious condition at the moment".
Derek leaves behind wife Kate and their two children, daughter Darcey and son Billy.
Emily is an experienced freelance entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily is a former Deputy News Editor and Evening News Editor at Digital Spy. She has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow.
A small and big-screen obsessive – with subscriptions to every TV and film service under the sun – Emily knows her movie stars from soap stars, and is always clued up on the latest reality show dumping, just-dropped trailer or off-screen spat. She's interviewed a number of celebrities over the years, with highlights including The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett and GMB's Kate Garraway (who "loved" her trousers).
Emily counts Sharon Horgan and Julia Davis as her TV heroes, and is a loyal Wes Anderson fan. LinkedIn
