Kate Garraway wore her late husband Derek Draper’s watch to his funeral as she “wanted a piece of him with her”.
The Good Morning Britain star was joined by daughter, Darcey, who acted as a pallbearer, and son Billy as they laid Derek to rest on Friday (February 2). The coffin, covered in purple and white flowers, made its way out of the north London church where Kate and Derek were married in 2005.
As she said her final goodbye, Kate was pictured wearing Derek’s watch, a source told The Mirror: “She wanted a piece of Derek to be with her on the day.”
READ MORE: Want more showbiz? Daily Star has just the thing for you!
READ MORE: Want more TV? Daily Star has just the thing for you!
Elton John performed his song Skyline Pigeon during the two-hour service, wearing purple-tinted glasses, which was Derek’s favourite colour. The lyrics of the 1969 song include “fly away, skyline pigeon fly, towards the dreams, you’ve left so very far behind”.
(Image: PA)
Elton had previously invited Kate and Derek to be his guests of honour at his Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert at London’s O2 Arena last year. The order of service honoured the singer, who had become a ‘dear friend’ and ‘supported them right from the very first day’ that Derek fell ill.
Kate’s children left heartfelt notes on wreaths on the coffin, reading: “I love you with all my heart’ and ‘I love you dad'” Among the mourners were former prime minister Sir Tony Blair, who gave a speech, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Other political figures included former Labour MPs such as Lord Mandelson and Ed Balls – who also now works as a GMB presenter – shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband, Sir Tony’s wife Cherie Blair and former Number 10 director of communications Alastair Campbell.
(Image: PA)
Derek, a key figure in the early years of New Labour in the 1990s, was a former researcher for Lord Mandelson. GMB stars Charlotte Hawkins, Ben Shephard, Richard Madeley, Alex Beresford, Rob Rinder, Susanna Reid, Sean Fletcher and Richard Arnold also attended the funeral.
Singer and TV presenter Myleene Klass, who has previously stepped in to host Kate’s radio show, and actress Tina Hobley, who has been on Holby City and presented on Smooth Radio, were also at the service. Those at the church also included journalist Robert Peston, talent manager Jonathan Shalit, radio presenter Roman Kemp, former Sky News political editor Adam Boulton and former political editor of GMTV and ex-Labour MP, Gloria De Piero.
(Image: PA)
TV stars Fiona Phillips, Martin Frizell and Piers Morgan were among those who attended the service. Kate, 56, was seen leaving the church with a candle in hand, dressed in a long black coat and pearl necklace.
The service included hymns like Lord Of The Dance by Sydney Carter and psalm 23 The Lord’s My Shepherd. A choir also performed songs including Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, Alleluia!, Sanctus And Benedictus, Agnus Dei, God Be In My Head by Sir Henry Walford Davies and canticle Nunc Dimittis.
(Image: PA)
Derek fell seriously ill during the early part of the pandemic in March 2020 and spent 13 months in hospital before he was discharged. He died on January 3 aged 56 after suffering long-lasting symptoms from coronavirus.
Draper set up the Progress organisation with Liam Byrne, who went on to become a Labour MP, and was also an author. He wrote the book Blair’s Hundred Days which chronicled some of Sir Tony’s first year as prime minister, along with Life Support: A Survival Guide For The Modern Soul.
(Image: WireImage)
Join the Daily Star Soaps WhatsApp for all the latest spoilers and exclusives
Kate often provided health updates about her husband on the ITV morning programme and fronted two documentaries on the channel about how the family’s life had changed following his illness. When she won the authored documentary prize at the National Television Awards for ITV’s Caring For Derek, she brought Darcey along with her when she went to the ceremony in 2022.
Draper was rushed to the hospital in December after a heart attack. Kate shared the sad news on Instagram, posting: “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.”
Draper used to be a big shot at a lobbying company and got mixed up in a scandal back in the ’90s, so he quit politics. He then started LabourList, a website for left-wing folks, but he left that too in 2009.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
