Kate Garraway shares daughter’s final words to Derek Draper before his death

Kate Garraway says her “emotions are at 110%” following the funeral of her husband, Derek Draper, and thanks everyone for their “outpouring of love” which includes “extraordinary” messages of condolence from the Beckhams, the King, Princess of Wales and Prince William.

A tearful Kate Garraway has revealed her daughter’s final words to her father Derek Draper before he died – and that the 17-year-old asked to carry his coffin at the funeral.

In her first interview since laying her husband to rest three days ago, the 56-year-old TV star spoke of her “outpouring of love for everyone that has supported me” during an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. “It’s just amazing. It feels like my emotions are at 110%,” she said.

She opened up to her co-presenters Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid – telling them she was told Draper had 24 hours to live a month before he eventually died.

Draper, a former political adviser and psychotherapist, died last month at the age of 56.

He was said to be one of the UK’s longest-suffering COVID patients after catching the disease in March 2020 and spending 13 months in hospital.

Speaking from her home via videolink on Monday, an emotional Garraway also told of the huge strength her daughter Darcey showed in the hours before Draper’s death.

The teenager helped carry her dad’s coffin at his funeral on Friday, which was attended by a host of politicians and celebrities.

Garraway said both the children spent time with their father on their own, adding: “Darcey said ‘If you can’t do this, we will be okay’ and I thought that was extraordinarily brave.”