Kate Garraway has honoured late husband Derek Draper’s dying wish to ‘be heard’ by the public with an emotional new documentary marking his final days.
On Tuesday, Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story, will air on ITV, chronicling the former political lobbyist’s final year of life before his death in January aged 56.
The documentary follows the two previous award-winning films also made by Flicker Productions: Finding Derek and Caring for Derek.
Joining Derek and Kate in May 2023, the film confronts head on the reality of Derek’s struggles and the effect on those around him while also capturing the sweet moments he spent with family and never-before-seen images and footage.
ITV has revealed when Derek was asked why he wanted to take part in the film, he said: ‘I want to be heard.’
Kate Garraway has honoured late husband Derek Draper’s dying wish to ‘be heard’ by the public with an emotional new documentary marking his final days (pictured in the new show)
On Tuesday, Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story, will air on ITV , chronicling the former political lobbyist’s final year of life before his death in January aged 56
According to The Sun, an unreleased trailer for the documentary shows the former political lobbyist announcing: ‘My name’s Derek Draper, I want you to hear my story.’
Kate goes on to ask Derek: ‘You’ve written Covid changed everything. Do you mean for you?’ to which he replies: ‘Yes.’
He is shown lying in bed and writing in his notepad during a chat with Kate.
Derek’s Story also reflects on Derek’s life before Covid, including his high-profile political career, and his relationship with Kate, revealing how illness impacted their 19-year marriage.
Speaking about why she set out to make the film, Kate shared: ‘Obviously when we started making this documentary early last year, we had no idea the events that would unfold that ultimately took Derek from us.
‘And in January 2024, after he had passed, I wondered if it was right that it should ever come to air.
‘But I didn’t want to let those who have given us so much support over the last four years down, and the carers paid and unpaid who in their thousands of letters to me, feel Derek’s story has given them a voice.’
Kate went on to explain that it had been Derek’s idea to film his plight as he wanted to help others suffering from long-term illnesses.
Derek became seriously ill after contracting Covid in 2020 and required round the clock care as a result.
Joining Derek and Kate in May 2023, the film confronts head on the reality of Derek’s struggles and the effect on those around him while also capturing the moments he spent with family
The documentary features never-before-seen photographs of the family and new footage documenting Derek’s final months (pictured with son Billy and daughter Darcey in photographs featured on the show)
The family are seen in happier times on the show before Derek suffered from his life-changing illness and required round the clock care
An unreleased trailer for the documentary shows the former political lobbyist announcing: ‘My name’s Derek Draper, I want you to hear my story’
Kate shared: ‘I remember so vividly that the idea of making this third documentary at all came from Derek himself. I hadn’t planned to make another one.
‘At the beginning of January 2023, he’d been released from a four month spell in hospital for sepsis and we were very positive about his recovery.
‘Derek was determined to keep on getting better and improving. One day, we were sitting together while I was caring for him and he suddenly, from nowhere, asked, “Are we making another documentary?”
‘I said, “Well I hadn’t really planned to. Were you thinking that you would like to?” And he said firmly “yes” . I said, “Well, if we do, I think we should work on it together and it should be your story, told in your voice.”
‘Derek got very emotional at the idea, because his words and speech were so limited and there were so many things he wanted to say about the struggle we were all having as a family and he wanted to speak up about it.
‘I asked Derek “What would be your main message?” And he said, “Never give up fighting for what you believe in and for the people you love.”‘
Speaking about the upcoming documentary on Good Morning Britain this month, Kate confessed it had been ‘pretty emotional’ working on it.
Speaking with co-host Ed Balls, Kate admitted she ‘can’t quite believe’ that Derek, who died in January, isn’t with her to ‘watch his story’.
She shared: ‘It’s been pretty emotional actually. Makes you want to jump in the screen and give him a hug.
‘You can’t quite believe that he’s not with us to watch his story. But, hopefully, it will be very useful for others who that are going through the same thing. That’s the dream and the wish.’
Former Labour insider and psychotherapist Derek married presenter Kate, 56, in 2005 and they went on to welcome children Darcey 17 and Billy, 14.
He had been plagued with health woes after contracting the virus in March 2020, which saw him put in a coma, battle sepsis and left with difficulties communicating.
Just over a year after contracting Covid, he was able to leave hospital and return to his family home in north London, with round-the-clock care.
In August 2022 he was taken to hospital with sepsis but pulled through. Then in early December 2023, Derek had a heart attack and was taken to hospital again.
Tragically, he wasn’t able to overcome the latest medical emergency and on January 5 Kate confirmed that Derek died.
In a post on social media, she said that her husband died surrounded by family and that she was ‘holding his hand throughout the last long hours’.
Former Labour insider and psychotherapist Derek married presenter Kate, 56, in 2005 and they went on to welcome children Darcey 17 and Billy, 14 (pictured in 2021)
Derek had been plagued with health woes after contracting the virus in March 2020, which saw him put in a coma, battle sepsis and left with difficulties communicating (pictured 2019)
She said his Covid infection had left him with lasting damage to his heart which had led to ‘further complications’.
Kate also thanked the medical teams for making his final moments as ‘comfortable and dignified as possible.’
MailOnline understands Derek passed away on Wednesday night (January 3) in a north London hospital.
Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story airs on on Tuesday at 9pm and will be available to stream on ITVX.
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