ITV viewers ‘unable to watch’ heartbreaking Derek Draper documentary

Kate Garraway: Derek's Story was shot in the year leading up to his death

Draper passed away in December last year following a lengthy battle with serious health issues as a result of long Covid.

After he contracted the virus in March 2020, he spent 100 days in a coma and required round the clock care until his passing.

In a new documentary, Garraway gave viewers an insight into what life was like for her and her husband in the year leading up to his passing.

Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story was shot in the final year of Draper’s life, and also reflected on the former political advisor's life before the pandemic.

On Tuesday evening, the programme was aired on ITV, and saw the Good Morning Britain recall the period after her and her children were told Draper "won't make it through."

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."

The documentary was an emotional watch for many at home, with one person writing: "Have had to turn over from watching Derek's story with Kate Garraway, it's absolutely heartbreaking."

Another said they "salute" Garraway for her "strength and kindness throughout all this."

Someone else described the documentary as "powerful, compelling, honest, distressing"

They added: "The beautiful soul that is @kategarraway speaking to every carer, everywhere."

In the documentary, Garraway admitted she had doubts about releasing the new documentary, which she had started filming before "the events that would unfold that ultimately took Derek from us."

She explained: "Obviously when we started making this documentary early last year, we had no idea the events that would unfold that ultimately took Derek from us. And in January 2024, after he had passed, I wondered if it was right that it should ever come to air."

"But I didn't want to let those who have given us so much support over the last four years down, and the carers paid and unpaid who in their thousands of letters to me, feel Derek's story has given them a voice." 

Related links:

Kate Garraway says lack of funding for Derek’s care has left her ‘800k in debt’

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