STANDING proudly with Derek by her side as she collected her MBE in June last year, Kate Garraway’s smile belied the pain they had endured for the past three years.
Veteran broadcaster Kate cared for her husband’s every need after he was first struck down by Covid in March 2020.
The virus ravaged his body and led to kidney failure and holes developing in his heart.
Derek’s illness crippled the family emotionally and financially – with Kate hit by a £716,000 tax bill when she was forced to close his psychotherapy business.
She juggled television work with her radio job, all while looking after Derek and their two children, Darcey, 17, and 14-year-old Billy, at their home in the capital.
Last night a source close to Kate, who works with her at ITV, said: “Kate has been through hell and back — and, by virtue of her career, it’s all been played out in the public domain.
“The strength of character and courage she’s shown, quite simply, is indescribable.
“Poor Derek and Kate became the unwitting poster couple of Covid — something absolutely no one could ever have foretold four years ago.
“Their battle inspired millions of Brits who were hit by this killer virus, and provided comfort in times of darkness. To say Kate has been a trouper is an understatement.
“She would come into work, every single day, after three hours of broken sleep, plaster on a smile, and sit in make-up having her heartbroken, tear-stained face covered with studio make-up. It was truly remarkable.
“Not once has she said ‘woe is me’ — she was so, so brave for the sake of Derek and her children.
"The only comfort for the family now is that brave, fearless Derek is no longer in pain.
"That is bringing enormous solace — as is the kindness of strangers and public outpouring she’s received.”
Others may have crumbled under the pressure but Kate managed to keep smiling – and even used Derek’s plight to raise awareness of other families whose lives were torn apart by long Covid.
Speaking publicly about Derek for the last time eight weeks ago, she said she tried to remain positive despite the hopelessness of their situation.
She said of Derek: “He’s living in the world of the unknown.
"When he wakes up in the morning it’s heartbreaking because it feels as though you are watching someone who may have been inhabiting his old life in his dreams and then he wakes up and you see the cloud descend of the battle he has ahead.
After Derek was discharged from hospital in 2021, Kate spent tens of thousands of pounds making their home suitable for him and, along with a team of carers, helped support Derek around the clock.
The difficulty of her situation was plain to see and Kate told us no two days were the same.
She explained: “Every day is a roller-coaster. Derek’s spirit fluctuates. Sometimes he lies there, unable to move, with tears rolling down his face and it’s heart-breaking.”
The children also had to adapt, with their dad barely able to communicate, let alone spend hours playing as he used to.
She said: “He’s their Daddy. He does come alive and you can see him kind of trying to be the old dad as much as he can, trying to make them laugh, trying to do different things.
“But they’ve had to realise that Derek was this kind of loud, rumbustious, huge, you know . . . overwhelming . . . and God, how we loved it, but he’s not that now, so they’ve had to readjust.”
Kate twice privately funded trips to Mexico for radical courses of therapy in a bid to help Derek recover.
Despite the insurmountable challenges and huge upheaval she faced, one thing never wavered — her love for Derek.
Kate recalled fondly how Derek, a popular character as well as a celebrated author and political activist, would “create chaos just for the fun of it”.
He began his political career in 1990 working for Labour MP Nick Brown.
He then worked as a researcher for Peter Mandelson and in 1996 became the director of lobbying firm GPC Market Access, where he helped set up the New Labour organisation Progress.
Derek, who went on to be an accomplished author, met Kate in 2004 at a party.
They wed in 2005, had Darcey in 2006 and Billy in 2009.
Derek had remained largely in the background of her career until Kate’s stint on I’m A Celeb in 2019, where he appeared on ITV breakfast telly with their children to speak about how proud he was of his wife.
She later recalled: “He very sweetly said that while he was watching me in the jungle, he fell in love with me all over again.
“He burst into tears, then got down on one knee just off camera around the corner, and proposed in front of our kids Darcey and Billy, and said ‘Let’s renew our wedding vows.’”
Sadly, Derek’s Covid diagnosis meant their planned second wedding never came to fruition.
Kate released a moving tribute to her husband after his death:
"I’m sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away.
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.
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.
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."
MARCH 30, 2020: Derek is rushed unresponsive to hospital with Covid after Kate calls TV doctor and pal Dr Hilary Jones concerned about her husband’s health.
APRIL 24: Derek is put into an induced coma.
JUNE 5: Kate reveals Derek is Covid-free but his body suffered damage and that they are unsure about the future.
JULY 5: He awakens from a deep coma but remains “minimally conscious”. Doctors urge Kate to try and “get on with life,” as he stays in hospital.
AUGUST 19: Kate reveals she celebrated Derek’s birthday with the children and said it was a “challenging” time for their family.
SEPTEMBER 6: She reveals that Derek has lost eight stone and cannot speak.
SEPTEMBER 29: Derek becomes the longest- suffering Covid patient after spending 184 days in hospital.
OCTOBER 30: He wakes from coma and speaks for the first time in seven months — but upsettingly one of the words he utters is “pain”.
OCTOBER 31: He is finally taken off a ventilator after 214 days in hospital.
JANUARY 7, 2021: Kate reveals their kids got to visit Derek at Christmas — the first time since he was hospitalised — and that it was a joy for them to all be together again
APRIL 9: Derek returns home after more than a year but needs full-time care. Kate begins the process of converting their house to make it wheelchair accessible and has a hospital bed installed in the living room.
MAY 4: Derek is able to converse more and say a couple of words.
DECEMBER 22: He is pictured in public for the first time - smiling at a pantomime. He was going into the Richmond Theatre, South West London to watch Cinderella.
FEBRUARY 21, 2022: Kate says they secretly flew to Mexico for a medical trial. The team behind the trial contacted Kate and they flew out to start the process.
JULY 6: Derek is rushed back to hospital.
AUGUST 1: He is in intensive care with “life- threatening” sepsis. Kate later reveals that Derek’s long Covid has led to kidney failure and that holes have developed in his heart.
MARCH 4: Pals reveal that Kate has flown Derek to Mexico again for experimental treatment as she continues to try and improve his quality of life.
JUNE 28: Derek sees Kate made an MBE and she praises his “determination".
OCTOBER 8: Kate reveals Derek is “not doing great” after an infection adding: “The battle goes on”.
NOVEMBER 23: Derek is rushed to hospital for treatment to help with his movement.
DECEMBER 11: He is rushed to hospital after being taken ill and suffers a devastating heart attack.
JANUARY 3, 2024: Derek passes away with Kate by his side and holding his hand.
