Derek Draper's death: ITV to feature new documentary about his battle with Covid

Derek Draper, a political lobbyist, died on January 3, 2024, after dealing with very serious health issues after contracting Covid-19 at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Indeed, for four years doctors were trying to help him but to no avail.

During his whole ordeal, his wife, Kate Garraway, remained by his side and at the end of 2023, she took a step back from work to focus on Derek. Sadly, Derek passed away surrounded by his family.

Just two months later, their daughter, Darcey, celebrated her 18th birthday without her father. Now it has been revealed that a documentary about Derek’s battle with Covid-19 will be aired by ITV as requested by Draper.

Derek Draper wanted to share his ordeal

As reported by The Standard, a documentary sharing Derek Draper’s final year of life will air on ITV. While he was still alive, Derek was asked why he wanted to film his life and health struggles and he replied:

I want to be heard.

Kate Garraway, who had been struggling financially, added that when they were filming, they had no idea that Draper would eventually succumb to his illnesses. She also explained that after his death, she questioned whether or not the documentary should still air. She told her GMB colleagues, as per Daily Mail:

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.

She revealed that, in the end, she still wanted the documentary to air as she didn’t want to ‘let down’those who had helped her and Derek for the past four years. Moreover, she explained she had received ‘thousands of letters’ from carers, both paid and unpaid, who had found a voice in Derek’s ordeal:

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.

Finally, she revealed that the idea of a third documentary about his ordeal ‘came from Derek himself’.

When will the documentary about Derek Draper air?

The documentary, titled Kate Garraway: Derek's Story will show Derek’s ‘personal struggles with illness’ but also shares the ‘challenges’ faced by others living in the UK with ‘serious illness and disability and those who care for them.’

The documentary was filmed in May 2023 and will ‘confront head on the reality of Draper’s struggles’. The documentary will also show some of the fun times the Draper family had sharing ‘real moments of love and joy as they spend time together as a family’.

Not only will the documentary focus on Draper, it also wants to highlight the cost it can take to care for people and show the difficulties that come with it, as there are around 5 million unpaid carers in England and Wales as per The Standard.

Finally, viewers will also get a glimpse of Derek’s life before it changed after contracting Covid-19. The documentary will air on ITV1 and ITVX later this March.

Read more:

⋙ Kate Garraway receives letters from royalty - her relationship with the Royal Family explained

⋙ Kate Garraway: How has the presenter been doing since the tragic death of husband Derek Draper?

⋙ Paul O’Grady: New ITV documentary to explore his alter ego Lily Savage

Sources used:

The Independent: ‘Kate Garraway celebrates major family milestone ahead of new Derek Draper documentary’

The Standard: ‘ITV announces new documentary Kate Garraway: Derek's Story’

Daily Mail: ‘Kate Garraway reveals Derek Draper wanted to make new ITV documentary about his battle with Covid so he could 'be heard' - as film follows GMB star's late husband in the final year of his life’