Derek Draper, husband of TV presenter Kate Garraway, has passed away. Garraway shared the news on Instagram on Friday, thanking fans for their well-wishes. Draper has been suffering from “long COVID” since 2020, and according to garraway his death was related to that long-term condition.
“I’m sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away,” Garraway wrote. “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. I have so much more to say, and of course I will do so in due course, but for now I just want to thank all the medical teams who fought so hard to save him and to make his final moments as comfortable and dignified as possible.”
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“Sending so much love and thanks to all of you who have so generously given our family so much support,” Garraway went on. “Rest gently and peacefully now Derek, my love, I was so lucky to have you in my life.”
Draper was 56 years old. He had a notable career as a political lobbyist in the 1990s, known as a supporter of the Labor Party and an architect of the Progress organization, according to a report by The Guardian. He left politics after he was involved in a “cash-for-access” scandal called Lobbygate, moving to the U.S. and seeking a career change. He studied to become a psychotherapist.
Draper caught the COVID-19 virus in March of 2020 before any vaccines or safeguards existed. He was hospitalized for 13 months, and he and Garraway shared their experience of long COVID on social media. Garraway made a documentary about their struggle called Finding Derek. She has continued to report on long COVID – a condition that is not well defined or understood to this day.
According to the CDC, long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions (PCC) encompasses a wide range of symptoms that develop and evolve after a serious infection with acute COVID-19. Some of the most common symptoms include persistent fatigue, fever, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, changes in smell and/or taste and difficulty sleeping – among many other issues. In some cases, PCC improves over time and in others it can be treated, but so far there are not any generally agreed-upon treatments for the whole condition in general.
Garraway will be taking some time off from her work on ITV in the wake of her husband’s death. Draper’s friends, colleagues and fans continue to share tributes to him on social media.
