Derek Draper death: Kate Garraway 'didn’t give up’ friend reveals

Kate Garraway is receiving the support of friends as she confronts the "grief and absolute sadness" following the loss of her husband.

Derek Draper passed away on January 5 at the age of 56, nearly four years after falling severely ill with Covid.

Following his passing, a circle of friends has been taking turns, ensuring that someone is with Kate during this challenging time.

One of the friends, Clare Nasir, said: “She’s devastated, she’s broken. She’s going from moments of real reflectiveness to moments where she’s just crying.”

Speaking to Closer magazine, Clare said: 'She’s been fighting for the right for Derek to live for four years now. It was a heck of a long journey for her and she was with him until he died. She didn’t give up the fight until the very last moment.” Kate and political adviser Derek married in 2005 and had two children, Darcey, 17, and Billy, 14.'

Clare said: 'She’s exhausted. When I was with her she’d had very little sleep. She’d been at Derek’s bedside night and day while trying to care for her family. What do you do? What do you say? There’s no light for her at the moment, just grief and absolute sadness. 

'The other weekend there was a lot of making tea and cooking. We managed to play a couple of little games with the kids to add a little light. Kate waxed and waned – it’s just so sad to see, she’s just broken.'