Derek Draper's final year to be shown in Kate Garraway's new ITV documentary
The final year of Derek Draper's life with wife Kate Garraway will be documented in a heartbreaking new ITV documentary.
Derek died at the start of January with TV host Kate holding his hand "throughout the last long hours" in hospital. He contracted covid in March 2020 and suffered multiple organ failure at the time, spending 13 months in hospital.
The new film about the last 12 months of his life will show how he returned to hospital in mid-December last year when he suffered a heart attack and sadly was never well enough to leave, with Kate spending much of the Christmas period by his bedside. His medical fight has already been the subject of two previous award-winning films also made by Flicker Productions: Finding Derek and Caring for Derek.
And now there will be a final chapter with Kate Garraway: Derek's Story. When asked why he wanted to take part in this film during the process of it being made, Derek said: "I want to be heard." Derek's Story will also reflects on his 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 while they maintained their close bond.
Explaining the reason for making the doc and going ahead with broadcasting it after his death, Kate, 56, said: “Obviously when we started making this documentary early last year, we had no idea the events that would unfold that ultimately took Derek from us. And in January 2024, I wondered if it was right that it should ever come to air.
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"But I didn’t want to let those who have given us so much support over the last four years down, and the carers paid and unpaid who in their thousands of letters to me, feel Derek’s story has given them a voice. Also, I remembered so vividly that the idea of making this third documentary at all came from Derek himself.”
Kate cared for her husband Derek Draper - who tragically died in January (ITV)Kate added: “I am delighted that the film is a tribute to Derek, his incredible spirit and a tribute to all of those who fight on to make every second of life count, whatever is thrown at them.” The film will have close access to Derek and Kate and provides an insight into his personal struggles with illness and highlights the challenges faced by millions of people in the UK living with serious illness and disability and those who care for them.
With around five million unpaid carers in England and Wales, the film also highlights the often prohibitive costs as well as practical difficulties, of caring for people within their homes and features contributions from Jake, the care worker who supports Derek’s care, as well as Kathryn Smith, CEO from charity Social Care Institute for Excellence.
The film was commissioned for ITV by Jo Clinton-Davis, Controller of Factual and Sue Murphy, Head of Factual Entertainment. ITV controller of factual, Jo Clinton-Davis said: “We can see in Derek Draper ’s story, the individual tragedy of a life devastated by illness, but also the wider perspective of how a family is impacted. Derek’s desire for his story to be filmed, along with Kate in their home, provides an insight into both their personal struggles as well highlighting the exhausting challenges of caring for a family member in the home within our care system.”
Colleen Flynn, Executive Producer at makers Flicker Productions, said: “We thank Kate and Derek for sharing their story at the most intimate of times and hope that this film goes some way to highlighting the need for the positive change they both hoped for within the care system.”
Speaking in February on ITV, Kate said she still felt "numb" from the death of her husband. His funeral service was held at the Church of St Mary The Virgin in Primrose Hill, north London. It was attended by figures including former prime minister Sir Tony Blair, musician Sir Elton John and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
*Kate Garraway: Derek's Story will air on ITV1 and ITVX later this month.
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