Kate Garraway has received an outpouring of love and support from colleagues, fans and close friends following her husband Derek Draper's passing in January aged 54.
The husband of the Good Morning Britain presenter contracted COVID-19 and suffered from long-standing health complications for four years after catching the virus.
Derek spent over a year in the hospital and, after being discharged, received round-the-clock care at home from his wife and medical staff. He is survived by his and Kate's two children: Darcey, 18, and Billy, 14.
© ITVWhile caring for her husband, Kate, who will front the documentary, Derek's Story, when it airs on Tuesday evening, made significant changes to their family home in London, including making it more accessible for his needs.
Since Derek's death, Kate has open about the financial difficulty she has found herself in after incurring debts from caring for him. In an interview with The Times, she explained the £800k worth of debt she has incurred.
"It's supposed to be a system that's meant to catch you if you fall. But actually, it feels like it's trying to catch you out.
"You feel like you're in the dock answering questions about things that will literally mean life or death to someone you love. Derek's needs were clearly so great, yet he didn't warrant funded care — so you think, 'If he isn’t getting it, then who is?'"
It's since been reported that Kate is even considering selling the family home to cover the debts, though the National Television Award-winner is yet to confirm this.
Kate Garraway's home with daughter Darcey, 18, and son Billy, 14
© InstagramHome changes
Kate revealed how she had adapted the property to suit Derek's needs at Christmas in 2021 when she shared a photo of him watching TV with their children.
Derek lay in bed while Darcey and Billy sat on chairs on either side of him while floor-to-ceiling gold-toned curtains hung at the windows.
© InstagramBedroom
An Instagram photo previously shared by Kate shared a look inside her bedroom, which features a teal-coloured statement wall and wooden bed frame.
A gold-framed artwork hangs above the bed, while Kate was presented with a tray topped with a vase of flowers and a Diptyque candle as she was treated to a relaxing Mother's Day breakfast in bed.
© ITVLiving room
In a photo shared to mark her previous ITV documentary, Finding Derek, Kate sat inside her living room, which is decorated with dark blue walls, a brown leather sofa and two armchairs – one mustard and one grey.
In the background, a large mirror hung on the wall and a side table displayed family photos and a red heart lamp.
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© InstagramLiving room
This other snapshot from Kate's previous documentary, Caring For Derek, showed the late political advisor hugging his son.
The background offers another angle of the living room which is teal colour with a large mirror on the wall and a TV unit in the corner.
The living room also leads out onto a dining area in the conservatory which then leads out into the garden.
© InstagramHallway
The hallway of Kate's home has wooden parquet flooring and a striped carpet running up the stairs.
This photo in particular shows the upstairs landing which also features the same grey and white striped carpet throughout.
"When you wake up to a full-blown Nerf battle…", Kate captioned this photo at the time, which showed how her entire staircase and halls had been taken over by her children's game, with pillows and a duvet piled up on the stairs.
© InstagramGarden
Kate told HELLO! the garden was one of the selling points of the property for them.
"We bought this house because of the garden," she said previously. "I love gardening and Derek likes being in the garden and giving instructions.
"When we first moved in, it was covered in brambles, but there were also these yellow irises he adores."
© InstagramOutdoor celebrations
Kate previously had an incredible teepee installed in the garden for her son Billy's birthday in 2021.
She enlisted the help of star Myleene Klass and captioned the post: "So I was super nervous about Bill’s birthday this year - we usually have a family do with grandparents & a few of his friends but obviously this was not possible.
"So we are seeing grandparents separately but wanted to do something for him & his mates in the garden."
She continued at the time: "Derek is so brilliant at this, organising treasure hunts & boys' own adventures so mentioned to @myleeneklass really didn’t want to let Bill down. Little did I know what I was unleashing! She is in her element!"
