Kate Garraway has clapped back at backlash over her new Derek Draper documentary about his long-term battle with Covid and the final year of his life.
The former New Labour giant and psychotherapist died aged 56 on January 3 after suffering a cardiac arrest following years of multiple health complications after contracting Covid in 2020.
He spent the first lockdown on a ventilator and placed in an induced coma for several weeks before returning to their family home in north London where he required round-the-clock care.
Good Morning Britain star Kate has been trolled over new documentary Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story, explaining that it was her late husband’s idea to make it.
Speaking about the backlash, she said on Thursday’s GMB: ‘I’ve had a few comments on saying, “oh for goodness sake, what now?” and I knew that would happen because people don’t understand and they probably haven’t been through that situation maybe that Derek has experienced and millions of others do.’
Kate Garraway has clapped back at backlash over her new Derek Draper documentary about his long-term battle with Covid and the final year of his life
The former New Labour giant and psychotherapist died aged 56 on January 3 after suffering a cardiac arrest following years of multiple health complications after contracting Covid in 2020
She added: ‘I hope that people understand why. It is important not to just walk away from something just because the person for whom made it very relevant to our family life isn’t there. It wouldn’t be right for Derek.
‘I hope people understand and I hope they find it helpful. There are moments of joy in there too as there always were along the way. Hopefully it’ll be good.’
Host Ed Balls said ITV viewers would be ‘upset’ to find out Kate was being trolled, to which she responded: ‘I get a huge amount of love so it’s fine to get a little bit of hate along the way as well because people can express their opinions.
‘I just knew some people would say that but for the millions of people it would help, and Derek and the children, it felt the best thing to do.’
Elsewhere, Kate said it was an idea from her husband said at the beginning of 2023 that he wanted to voice his own story.
She explained: ‘The idea came from him at the beginning of 2023 and he suddenly said, as words would come in fits and starts, ‘are we making another documentary?’
‘I said I hadn’t thought to do that Derek but he said ‘I think we should’.
Derek was one of the first to fall seriously ill with Covid-19 in March 2020. Kate announced he died on January 3 last month
Kate and her children – Darcey, 17, and William, 14 – are seen in black leaving Derek’s funeral last month
‘He said I think I would like to be heard and I would like it to be me telling it. So we then spent a lot of time working out how that can be and a lot of that was in there but a lot wasn’t recorded because nobody expected him to be taken from us.’
After Derek’s sudden death earlier this year, Kate had considered not continuing with the documentary but decided to carry on as otherwise she would be ‘abandoning all of those thousands of people who felt as thought they had a voice with him ‘.
She added: ‘It was a painful process for me and the family to think if it’s right to show this now, will it be too much? I thought in January I don’t think we can now but then I thought actually he wanted to tell a story about the caring system from his position.’
‘His words were ‘you’ve got to carry on fighting for the people you love’ so I think it will be quite moving to hear his voice – because not many people have heard his voice.
‘I thought just because I am no longer lucky enough to be caring for Derek, that chapters passed, you can’t give up the fight for caring. It would be abandoning all of those thousands of people who feel as though they have a voice with him.
The new ITV programme follows the two previous award-winning films also made by Flicker Productions: Finding Derek and Caring for Derek.
The couple began filming the latest film in May 2023 with hope of providing further insight into Derek’s personal struggles with his illness and highlight the challenges faced by millions in the UK living with serious illness and disability.
Towards the end of his life, Kate became a full time carer to Derek (pictured at the National Television Awards in London in 2007)
The film, named Derek’s Story, will reflect on Derek’s life before Covid, including his high-profile political career, as well his relationship with Kate, their early years together and how Derek’s illness changed the nature of their dynamic.
The television presenter added: ‘I hope people understand because I wonder if it seems strange to be broadcasting something when someone’s passed but it would be wrong to abandon his chance to do that and all those people who need the story told.’
‘Obviously he wasn’t able to finish the end of that chapter so hopefully we have finished it for him.’
Although the exact date of the release of the film is yet to be announced, ITV have confirmed it will air later this month.