Kate Garraway shares daughter’s final words to Derek Draper before his death

Published

2 years ago

February 5, 2024

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A tearful Kate Garraway has revealed her daughter’s final words to her father Derek Draper before he died – and that the 17-year-old asked to carry his coffin at the funeral.

In her first interview since laying her husband to rest three days ago, the 56-year-old TV star spoke of her “outpouring of love for everyone that has supported me” during an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

“It’s just amazing. It feels like my emotions are at 110%,” she said.

She opened up to her co-presenters Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid – telling them she was told Draper had 24 hours to live a month before he eventually died.

Draper, a former political adviser and psychotherapist, died last month at the age of 56.

He was said to be one of the UK’s longest-suffering COVID patients after catching the disease in March 2020 and spending 13 months in hospital.

Speaking from her home via videolink on Monday, an emotional Garraway also told of the huge strength her daughter Darcey showed in the hours before Draper’s death.

The teenager helped carry her dad’s coffin at his funeral on Friday, which was attended by a host of politicians and celebrities.

Garraway said both the children spent time with their father on their own, adding: “Darcey said ‘If you can’t do this, we will be okay’ and I thought that was extraordinarily brave.”

On her daughter’s role as a pallbearer at the service, she said: “She insisted on doing it and I thought it was a beautiful thing.”

‘Stop the clock moment’

Addressing how it felt when she was told Draper would not survive a serious downturn in his health, she said: “It was one of those ‘stop the clock’ moments, where you want the world to stop.”

Asked how she managed to keep it together while caring for her husband for four years, she said: “I’m not sure I did it very well. I think I relied on everybody else, like we all do.

“I think I’ve got a massive debt to so many people and not least to Derek, actually, because his spirit and fight to keep going, never once did he say ‘I don’t want to try. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to do that.’

“Nor have the children. The children have been extraordinary throughout.”

‘Looking forward to a blow dry’

She said son Billy, 14, had returned to school today – and confirmed she will return to GMB on Thursday.

“I am looking forward to coming into the world and connecting with everyone again,” she said.

“Thank you for having me back but have a little patience, I might be a bit rusty.”

“I’m going to be looking forward to a blow dry,” she joked.

“I’m going to be finding fake eyelashes. I’m going to be very much looking forward to applying fake tan.

“Don’t worry, I will be a little bit more respectable by Thursday.

“I’ll be doing a lot of homework between now and then because I feel like I’ve been in a very small bubble.”

‘New life starts now’

Of Darcey and Billy, she added: “For their grieving, we are in the foothills, we know there is a long way to go.”

However, she said she is looking to the future, adding: “A new life starts now. I don’t quite know how it’s gonna be. But grief isn’t containable in a day or a month or a year.

“I think some people say: why are you going back to work? Well, everybody does have to, don’t they? Life has to start.”

Letters from the Beckhams, Waleses and King

Garraway added she has received “extraordinary” messages of condolence from unexpected places.

“I had the most beautiful letter from David and Victoria Beckham – handwritten, very good handwriting… that was Darcey’s observation,” she said.

“And from the Royal Family – Catherine and William sent a beautiful letter, and I know Catherine has been in hospital herself.

“Even the King, because there is somebody who knows about grief, that anticipatory grief where you know something has a risk of happening and how different it is when it does happen.”

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World Cup 2026 – who England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will play

Published

51 mins ago

December 6, 2025

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World Cup 2026 - who England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will play

Scotland and England now know who they will face in the group stage of the next summer’s world cup.

But the fates of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales won’t be determined until they compete in pre-tournament play-off matches in March.

England are in Group L along with Croatia, Panama and Ghana. Their first match will be against Croatia, who beat them in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Scotland’s first match will be against Haiti, in Group C.

Brazil and Morocco are the other Group C teams – both countries were also in the same opening group as Scotland in the 1998 World Cup in France.

Wales have yet to find out if they will qualify as they must face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, and then either Italy or Northern Ireland, if they are victorious.

If they can overcome these play-off opponents then they will secure their place in Group B along with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. But Northern Ireland will also be vying and hoping to guarantee their spot in the same group if they can beat Italy and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Republic of Ireland also need to get through the play-offs first and are paired against the Czech Republic for their semi-final. Should Ireland win that match, they will need to beat either North Macedonia or Denmark to get to the finals where an opening group containing joint hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea awaits.

UK

Crafted for one man – this was a World Cup draw like no other

Published

51 mins ago

December 6, 2025

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Crafted for one man - this was a World Cup draw like no other

This was a World Cup draw like no other. Crafted less for the teams but for one man.

The choice of venue. The creation of a new trophy. The closing music act.

Donald Trump was lavished with the adulation he craves by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and feels others unfairly deny him.

Knowing how much being overlooked by the Nobel Committee hurt the US president, there was Mr Infantino with FIFA’s newly-created Peace Prize to hand over. And a medal for Mr Trump to wear.

“This is truly one of the great honours of my life,” he said. “And beyond awards, Gianni and I were discussing this. We saved millions and millions of lives.”

This was all on the stage in front of an audience who turned up to find out who they will be playing at the World Cup.

England handed an undaunting route past Croatia, Panama and Ghana. Scotland paired with newcomers Haiti before tricky reunions from their last men’s World Cup in 1998 against Brazil and Morocco.

But the show before the draw could even begin – presided over by Rio Ferdinand – took almost as long as a football match, at 87 minutes after the noon kick-off was delayed.

There was a walk of self-promotion to complete – “I guess they have to wait” – before taking his seat in the Kennedy Center. Or the Trump Kennedy Center as the president takes to calling the venue picked 1.5 miles from the White House.

“It was falling apart,” he said, delaying the walk into the auditorium. “And now it’s, it’s pretty much back.”

Mr Infantino could only watch on, beaming, at his friend.

“We had a dead country,” Mr Trump went on, “and now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world”.

There was the awkwardness of being reminded, before receiving the peace accolade, about threats to launch military strikes on Venezuela to stop the drugs trade.

“I did settle eight wars, and we have a ninth coming,” he swatted away the question. “Which nobody’s ever done before. But I want to really save lives. I don’t need prizes.”

But FIFA knew how much he wanted more gold for the collection with the prize.

More on this story:
What draw means for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

And for all the mockery and disdain targeted at FIFA, how many sports would relish having the US president spend several hours attending a procedural event determining the placing of teams in groups for a tournament?

How many would dish out the same flattery to secure direct lines to the leader of the nation staging their championship?

Many have benefited from Mr Trump’s stardust and swagger being attached to this spectacle.

Even Port Vale’s most famous fan – Robbie Williams – secured a walk-on role, exceeding his profile this side of the Pond.

And the Village People are reaping the rewards of becoming the unlikeliest of Trump hype acts.

The festivities ended with eyes fixed back up to the presidential seating and the YMCA dance being performed.

This was an afternoon that dispelled any pretence that FIFA keeps a distance from politics. It was unapologetically political. But few speak out in the FIFA world as the redistributed wealth keeps rolling back in their direction.

It would be easy to forget this isn’t entirely America’s World Cup. They’re sharing hosting with Canada and Mexico.

And eventually the spotlight was ceded to their leaders – very briefly – as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney drew out their countries’ names.

But it did live up to FIFA’s mantra that football can unite the world.

The neighbours were brought together here on a snowy day in Washington. And tensions – often stoked by Mr Trump with Canada and Mexico – thawed in the name of football.

UK

Duchess of Sussex ‘reaches out’ to estranged father after reports of leg amputation

Published

51 mins ago

December 6, 2025

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Duchess of Sussex 'reaches out' to estranged father after reports of leg amputation

Meghan Markle has “reached out” to her estranged father after reports he had his leg amputated, her spokesperson has said.

Thomas Markle, 81, reportedly had his leg amputated following surgery in the Philippines, where he moved to this year.

Meghan has been estranged from her father since around the time of her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018.

Mr Markle, a retired television lighting director and director of photography, made headlines across the globe after he was caught staging paparazzi photographs in the days ahead of the ceremony.

A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex said: “I can confirm she has reached out to her father.”

Meghan is said to have previously tried to reach out to him in the past.

Mr Markle has never met his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

At the start of this year, Mr Markle told of how he dreamed of bringing his “whole family together” and wished his daughter “no ill-will”.

Mr Markle revealed that he didn’t “like some of the things” Meghan had done but would “always love her”.

His interview with the Mail on Sunday came amid the duchess’ return to Instagram and the release of a trailer for her lifestyle show on Netflix.

Mr Markle said: “I’m not running away. I am going in search of a more positive life.

“Every day I see something about Meghan. This week it has been the new TV show.”

In his first interview after his daughter’s wedding, Mr Markle said he didn’t attend the big day because he was embarrassed about staging the photos.

“The truth is I couldn’t get over the fact that that had happened. All that stuff was working on me, I had a bit of a heart condition.

“This pushed me a little further to the part where I had heart palpitations. I had to drive at 2am to a hospital. They sent me to another little hospital and then they sent me to a bigger hospital and I had a heart attack.”

A day-and-a-half later he said he felt better and checked himself out against doctors’ wishes in a bid to make it to the wedding, but the heart palpitations returned when he got home, which at the time was in Mexico.

“At that time I started getting chest pains and I said I have to cancel because I didn’t take care of the heart problem before. I had a good friend take me back to a hospital across the border to the States where I was told that my condition was very bad and they had to operate, and I had heart surgery.”