Derek Draper Dies Aged 56, Wife Kate Garraway Confirms
Derek Draper has died at the age of 56, his wife Kate Garraway has confirmed.
The former lobbyist and political advisor, who had been married to Good Morning Britain host Kate since 2005, suffered severe complications after contracting Covid in March 2020.
Derek spent a year in hospital after being placed in a coma, with the virus causing long-lasting damage to his organs, leaving him in need of constant care after he returned home in April 2021.
In a statement, Kate said her “darling husband” had died and she had been “holding his hand throughout his last long hours”.
During his political career, Derek was a former aide to then-Labour cabinet minister Peter Mandelson and later became a Labour campaign advisor.
He also worked as a journalist and columnist, and trained as a psychotherapist.
Derek also published two books, Blair’s 100 Days and Life Support.
Throughout Derek’s health issues, Kate had regularly updated the public on his condition, and won praise in 2021 for the documentary Kate Garraway: Finding Derek, which won a National Television Award.
She followed this with a second documentary, subtitled Caring For Derek, in 2022, showing how her family life had changed in the wake of his illness.
Derek is survived by wife Kate and their two children, Darcey and Billy.