ITV has confirmed that Kate Garraway will be returning to her TV role next week after the funeral of her husband, Derek Draper. Garraway will give a live interview on Good Morning Britain on Monday, where she will discuss Draper’s final weeks and his funeral ceremony. She will then resume hosting the show on Thursday, alongside Ben Shephard.
Draper, an author and former political adviser, passed away in January due to severe complications from Covid-19. Garraway, a regular presenter on Good Morning Britain, has been absent from the show since early December when Draper suffered a cardiac arrest.
According to The Sun, Garraway is tentatively scheduled to return full-time, but ITV has offered her the flexibility to take time off as needed. The broadcaster is expected to announce her return tonight.
Draper suffered from long-lasting symptoms of coronavirus after contracting the virus in March 2020. His daily care was documented in ITV documentaries. Upon his passing on January 3, Garraway paid tribute to her “darling husband Derek” in an Instagram post.
The private funeral service was held at a church in North London, attended by their children, stars and politicians including Sir Elton John and Sir Tony Blair, as well as Garraway’s fellow hosts Ben Shephard, Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid, and former presenter Piers Morgan.
Draper was a Labour Party lobbyist for almost a decade before leaving politics in 1998 due to a scandal. He later became a psychotherapist and wrote regularly on psychotherapy issues. He is the author of two books and founded the LabourList website in 2009. Draper and Garraway married in 2005 and have two children together.
