02 February 2024 , 15:50
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Kate Garraway paid a sweet tribute to her husband Derek Draper at his funeral while Elton John performed.
The Good Morning Britain star, 56, was joined by the couple's two children Darcey, 17, and Billy, 14, with the couple's daughter bravely helping to carry her father's coffin into the church where her parents married nearly two decades earlier. Kate tied the knot with Derek in September 2005 at St Mary The Virgin in Primrose Hill.
In a poignant tribute to her husband, Kate wore Derek's watch during the funeral on Friday. Derek fell seriously ill with Covid during the early part of the pandemic in March 2020 and spent 13 months in hospital before he was discharged.
Derek died at the age of 56 after a long health battle (James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Derek fought for four long years (INSTAGRAM)He died on January 3, aged 56, after suffering long-lasting symptoms from coronavirus. Kate was supported by her family as well as her Good Morning Britain co-stars Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard.
Sir Elton John, Tony Blair, Keir Starmer, Piers Morgan and Mylene Klass were among the guests in attendance, who all sang Lord of the Dance during the service. Sir Elton, who became a "huge friend" to Kate amid Derek's health struggle, sang his hit Skyline Pigeon as guests welled-up.
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Lyrics to the poignant tune include: "Turn me loose from your hands / Let me fly to distant lands / Over green fields, trees and mountains / Flowers and forest fountains / Home along the lanes of the skyway." Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom Derek worked under for New Labour, gave a touching speech during the service.
Elton performed at the funeral (Getty Images)A choir performed the Angus Dei, the Gospel Alleluia, God in my head and finished the service with Nunc Dimittis. After the service, close friends and family gathered for a private celebration of the father-of-two's life.
Kate chose to say her last goodbyes to husband Derek in the same church they said their wedding vows 20 years earlier. The pair tied the knot in the picturesque Primrose Hill church in September 2005, a year after they started dating.
Many of the guests that had been present at the happy occasion, including Richard Arnold and Fiona Phillips and her This Morning boss husband Martin Frizell, were also in attendance at Derek's funeral on Friday.
Darcey carries her father's coffin after the funeral mass at St Mary the Virgin Church (Getty Images)Earlier this year, Kate announced her husband’s death on Instagram, with a post saying: “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. Derek was surrounded by his family in his final days and I was by his side holding his hand throughout the last long hours and when he passed.”