United in grief: Kate Garraway clasps hands of children as family arrives to pay final farewell to Derek Draper, joined by Hollywood A-listers and legends of TV, showbiz and politics
Kate Garraway today said goodbye to her beloved husband Derek Draper at his funeral with their 17-year-old daughter bravely carrying the coffin as her mother proudly watched on.
Family and friends gathered at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Primrose Hill this morning for a service of remembrance after the New Labour lobbyist turned psychotherapist died aged 56.
Ms Garraway clutched the hands of her two children as they waited for the coffin to arrive outside the church, which was packed with some of Britain’s most famous people.
Kate’s teenage daughter Darcey was among the six pallbearers as her mother watched on. The GMB presenter tightly clutched her son William’s hand as they followed the coffin into the church. Members of Mr Draper’s family followed behind.
His death following a long battle with Covid-19 moved the nation and today’s funeral was packed with big names who were friends and colleagues of him and his wife.
Sir Elton John arrived at the packed north London church with his husband David Furnish after Myleene Klass. Sir Tony Blair and Sir Keir Starmer were amongst the big names from the world of politics. Derek Draper worked for New Labour for many years, including for former boss Peter Mandelson, who also attended.
Kate’s past and present Good Morning Britain colleagues were also out in force to support her on a tragic day. Ben Shephard and Susanna Reid were amongst the first to arrive followed by Piers Morgan and Charlotte Hawkins Fiona Phillips was seen in public with her ITV exec husband Martin Frizell for the first time since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Kate Garraway watches Derek Draper’s coffin enter the church
The couple’s daughter Darcey was among the six pallbearers, bravely carrying her father on his final journey
Kate was supported by a huge group of friends and family at today’s service
Kate chose to hold her young son’s hand as they enter the church
Kate Garraway and her family arrives for the funeral of her husband, who died aged 56
Kate looks bereft as she looks at the hearse that arrived this morning
Sir Elton John and David Furnish were among the big names at Derek Draper’s funeral
Sir Tony Blair and his wife Cherie also came to say their goodbyes. Derek worked for new Labour for many years
Kate and Derek in happier times at the National Television Awards in 2007 – two years after they married
Labour leader Keir Starmer arrived after Ed Miliband and MP turned TV star Ed Balls also came to say farewell.
Mr Draper was among the first in the UK to fall seriously ill with Covid-19 and was admitted to an intensive care unit as the country entered lockdown in March 2020.
He was one of the country’s longest-suffering Covid patients after being in hospital but never fully recovered after the virus left long-lasting damage to his organs and meant he needed round-the-clock care.
He suffered a heart attack before Christmas and never recovered. Kate revealed Derek died as she held his hand ‘throughout the last long hours and when he passed’ on January 3 aged 56 after suffering long-lasting symptoms from coronavirus.
The Good Morning Britain star, 56, announced the death of her husband of 18 years on Instagram and said: ‘Rest gently and peacefully now Derek, my love, I was so lucky to have you in my life.’
Derek suffered a heart attack before Christmas following a long battle with Covid.
Kate, who had two children with Derek, Darcey, 17, and their youngest, Billy, 11, said: ‘I’m sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away.
‘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. 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 added: ‘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.
‘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.’
Myleene Klass was among the big names to attend the sad event
Kate’s Good Morning Britain colleagues Ben Shephard and Susanna Reid were amongst the first to arrive at the north London church.
Broadcaster and journalist Piers Morgan, former host of GMB, attended with his wife Celia Walden
Fiona Phillips and her ITV exec husband Martin Frizell also attended the service. Fiona was sen for the first time since she was diagnised with Alzheimer’s
Richard Arnold and Charlotte Hawkins came to say a final farewell
Peter Mandelson, Derek’s former boss at New Labour, came to say his final farewell
GMB weather presenters Alex Beresford and Laura Tobin arrived together
New Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell arrives
GMB presenter Sean Fletcher and Robert Rinder walk into the church
Derek Draper’s funeral at St Mary the Virgin Church, Primrose Hill
Derek Draper in 2021 with his wife Kate and children Darcey and Billy after returning home from hospital, where he was Britain’s longest suffering covid patient. He died aged 56
Mr Draper was a former researcher for Blairite Peter Mandelson who became a New Labour spin doctor and later retrained as a psychotherapist after a series of political and lobbying scandals.
Former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown led tributes. Mr Brown tweeted: ‘So sad that after such a brave struggle Derek Draper has lost his life as a result of Covid. I will remember him as brilliant, creative and multitalented, and our thoughts are with Kate, Darcey and Billy. RIP Derek’.
He suffered a massive heart attack in December and MailOnline passed away in a North London hospital. Kate said that he died surrounded by family and his passing led to several friends and former colleagues breaking down on live TV when the sad news broke.
Derek had been plagued with health woes after contracting Covid in 2020 and suffered a cardiac arrest in early December, with Kate spending Christmas at hospital. Ms Garraway and Mr Draper married in 2005.
Kate revealed she was holding her husband’s hand when he died
Derek, 56, who has been plagued with health woes after contracting Covid in 2020, was said to be in a critical condition (pictured in June with Kate’s parents Gordon and Marilyn after his wife collected her MBE)
Derek and Kate on their wedding day in 2005 as they gave their vows
Derek, 56, returned home from hospital after 13 months but he never fully recovered (pictured with his family in their garden)
Kate Garraway spent Christmas in hospital after Derek was left fighting for his life as he suffered a heart attack
Derek Draper (circled) is seen standing next to Labour grandees including Neil Kinnock, John Prescott and Peter Mandelson (right). The footage was in BBC2’s The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty
Kate Garraway with her family after taking part in I’m a Celebrity in 2019
Derek, 56, was fighting for his life since a heart attack in early December
Derek was catastrophically ill in hospital after becoming one of the first people to catch covid
He returned home to be with his family but fell seriously ill last month and died this week
A prominent figure in New Labour in the 1990s, Mr Draper worked for Blairite Peter Mandelson and set up the Progress organisation with Liam Byrne, who went on to become an MP.
After he was embroiled in the so-called ‘cash-for-access’ scandal, dubbed ‘lobbygate’, he travelled to the United States, where he retrained as a psychotherapist.
In 2021, Ms Garraway won a prize at the National Television Awards for the documentary Finding Derek, about her family’s experience during the pandemic.
It detailed her husband’s treatment and his subsequent return to their family home.
In July 2022, Garraway confirmed Mr Draper had been readmitted to hospital and later that month it was reported that his condition had worsened.
His battle with the virus won much attention and support, including from former prime minister Boris Johnson and the royal family.
Former lobbyist and political adviser Mr Draper was part of one of Britain’s most prominent media power couples.
The New Labour spin doctor reached great heights of influence in the 1990s but became best known for his involvement in the ‘lobbygate’ scandal.
A former researcher for Blairite Peter Mandelson, Mr Draper became a director of lobbying firm GPC Market Access in 1996 and set up the New Labour organisation Progress with Liam Byrne, who went on to become an MP.
It was while working at GPC that Mr Draper was caught on tape boasting to an undercover journalist of his government connections.
In one of the first sleaze scandals to hit Tony Blair’s fledgling administration, he reportedly claimed: ‘There are 17 people who count in this government, and to say I am intimate with all of them is the understatement of the century.’
Mr Draper insisted he had done nothing wrong in the so-called ‘cash for access’ scandal dubbed ‘lobbygate’ but admitted he did have a ‘big mouth’.
The incident appeared to spell the end of any bigger political ambitions for the famously champagne-swilling New Labour stalwart and he travelled to the United States, where he trained as a psychotherapist.
A former researcher for Blairite Peter Mandelson, Mr Draper became a director of lobbying firm GPC Market Access in 1996 and set up the New Labour organisation Progress with Liam Byrne, who went on to become an MP. Above: Mr Draper in 1998
Derek Draper in San Francisco where he set up home after leaving politics
In 2005, Mr Draper married Kate Garraway, the GMTV co-presenter who is now part of the Good Morning Britain team on ITV and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2007 and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in November 2019. Above: The couple in 2008
In 2005, Mr Draper married Ms Garraway, the GMTV co-presenter who is now part of the Good Morning Britain team on ITV and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2007 and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in November 2019.
In 2008 he returned to the Labour spotlight as the head of the website LabourList, a left-wing rival to online portals such as Conservative Home.
He hit the headlines again in 2009 and stepped down as editor of LabourList after email correspondence between him and Damian McBride, one of Gordon Brown’s key aides, was leaked.
In the emails, Mr McBride proposed a campaign of unfounded personal smears against senior Conservatives on a new blog called RedRag, an idea praised by Mr Draper as ‘absolutely, totally brilliant’.
In a resignation statement released to the Guardian, Mr Draper acknowledged that his continued presence at LabourList – which was originally set up to discuss serious policy ideas – was detracting from the website.
‘I regret ever receiving the infamous email and I regret my stupid, hasty reply. I should have said straight away that the idea was wrong,’ he said.
‘I do ask people to remember that its contents were never published by me, or anyone else, involved in the Labour Party and they would never have seen the light of day were it not for someone hacking into my emails and placing them into the public domain.
‘Because of that, a silly idea ultimately destined for the trash can became a national scandal.’
Mr Draper was once again consigned to the Labour wilderness and became chief executive of a leadership consultancy, compiling weekly emails summarising the best content for business and HR leaders.
In 2019 he announced he was resigning his Labour Party membership.
Mr Draper’s medical case attracted much media attention, partly because of his marriage to Ms Garraway, and partly because of the length of his hospital stay.
Some media reported that he had become the nation’s longest-suffering patient after spending 13 months in hospital.
In early July 2022, Ms Garraway disclosed that Derek had been readmitted to hospital and later that month dropped out of presenting Good Morning Britain as his condition worsened.
The following February, the ITV series Kate Garraway: Caring for Derek aired on ITV, and documented Draper’s arrival home from the hospital while also following Garraway as she navigated the ‘myriad challenges of the social care system and its complexities’.
Mr Draper was photographed by his wife’s side in June, despite being in and out of hospital, when she collected her MBE from the Prince of Wales in an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
In December, The Sun reported that Mr Draper had ‘suffered a massive heart attack’ and said Garraway was keeping a 24/7 vigil by his bedside.