Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway has been left ‘shocked’ after new paperwork from HMRC showed that she is still heavily in debt following her late husband’s death
Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway “doesn’t recognise” the figures she’s being told after discovering she is still heavily in debt. New paperwork from HMRC shows outstanding loan debts of almost £140,000 from her late husband’s company, as well as a hefty £288,000 tax bill. The worrying news comes after Kate was confirmed to be taking part in Celebrity Traitors.
A Liquidators’ statement of receipts and payments released this week indicates that Derek’s company, Astra Aspera, still has several unpaid debts, putting Kate under significant financial strain.
Despite the company receiving royalties of £37,000, there remains a loan of £139,849 to be repaid and a £288,000 tax bill owed to HMRC.
With no further assets in the company, HMRC states that efforts to recover the money are ongoing, although it is believed that Kate currently lacks the funds to repay the debt.
She has been striving to pay back the money, and sources close to her emphasise that these are debts from Derek’s company. The care for Derek and the loss of his income have undoubtedly exacerbated her financial predicament, reports the Mirror.
Derek passed away in January 2024 at the age of 56, following a prolonged battle with the long-term effects of Covid.
A representative for Kate stated: “‘Kate has met all that the liquidators of Derek’s company have asked for and more over the past 4 years. She doesn’t recognise these figures and is shocked that’s it’s being presented in this way by them.
“Caring for Derek and supporting her family when Derek could no longer run his own businesses has taken a huge financial toll on her but she’s determined to put things right. She is in constant contact with HMRC to make sure she honours what’s required from Derek’s now defunct company.”
Kate has been candid about the financial burden of caring for Derek, which has significantly impacted her finances. She has shared her challenges openly.
Derek’s business, Astra Aspera Ltd, which he founded in 2021, went into liquidation in March 2022, leaving debts of £716,822 owed to HMRC and £196,548 to four other creditors. Kate has managed to repay some of the debt but hasn’t been able to settle it all.
Before her husband passed away, Kate revealed in the ITV documentary Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story: “Derek’s care costs more than my salary from ITV and that is before you pay for a mortgage, before you pay any household bills, before you pay for anything for the kids, so we are at a crunch point.
“I am in debt. I can’t earn enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek’s care and I can’t even use the money I do have to support Derek’s recovery, because it’s going on the basics all the time.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
