Kate Garraway admits to being "in tears" ahead of Good Morning Britain return
Kate Garraway has opened up on her emotional return to Good Morning Britain following the death of her husband Derek Draper, aged 56.
Draper's death was announced on January 5 by Garraway in a touching Instagram post, in which she said he passed after being "critically ill following a cardiac arrest in early December which, because of the damage inflicted by Covid in March 2020."
The former political lobbyist's funeral took place on February 2 at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Primrose Hill, where he and Garraway wed 18 years ago. The TV presenter was back on our screen on Monday (February 5) via video to update her coworkers on how she was doing.
Now, the star has opened up about her feelings surrounding her TV return. Speaking with co-anchor Ben Shepherd on the ITV show, she said: "It's lovely to be back here. It's odd, I feel very weird. The makeup girls had me in tears this morning just by saying hello," she said.
Related: Kate Garraway recalls daughter's heartbreaking words to Derek Draper before death
"Thank you to all of you at home as well. You have been incredible. I keep saying, just treat me normally, everyone realises they don't know how to anymore."
Shepherd then turned the conversation to Draper's funeral, saying their whole family did him proud, including their children Darcey, 17, and Billy, 14.
"I wanted to make it about Derek, not about me," Garraway said, before joking: "That changes this morning, it’s back to me."
She paid tribute to her children as well as the family's friends for the support they have given and thanked viewers for their kind words.
Related: Kate Garraway's ITV co-stars lead tributes to Derek Draper
It comes as Garraway revealed the heartbreaking words Darcey said to her father ahead of his death. Speaking to Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid on GMB on Monday, she said: "It was one of those stop-the-clock moments, where you want the world to stop. It swamps you. We now have 24 hours, [which] turned out to be more of a month, of fighting on and fighting on, following the prognosis that he won't make it through. For the children when they heard he won't make it through, they've heard it so many times.
"They were so beautiful, the children, about that. They individually had time with him on his own and Darcey said: 'If, dad, you can't do this, it's okay. Don't worry about us.' And I had similar conversations, a chance to hold his hand and smell his skin and hold him all the way through, and some people don't get that."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.
If you identify with the themes in this article, the NHS has resources available to help with grief counselling and other support in the UK. In the US, the CDC also has resources available for those grieving.
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