Former lobbyist and political advisor, Derek Draper fell seriously ill with Covid-19 in March 2020, before spending the next 13 months in hospital. After being discharged from hospital, Mr Draper suffered long-lasting damage from the virus, with his organs requiring daily care.
Posting an emotional statement via Instagram, Kate Garraway confirmed that her beloved husband has passed away.
"I’m sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away", she 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".
Derek Draper was an important political figure in New Labour in the UK during the 1990s. He also worked for Blairite Peter Mandelson, as well as setting up the Progress organisation with Liam Byrne. Byrne went on to become an MP.
Draper went on to retrain as a psychotherapist in the US, after he was caught up in the so-called 'cash-for-access' scandal, which was dubbed 'lobbygate'.
In 2022, Kate Garraway had announced that her husband had been readmitted to hospital, adding that his condition had deteriorated. The couple married in 2005, and had two children Darcey and Billy.
In 2021, Kate Garraway was awarded at the National Television Awards for her documentary 'Finding Derek', focussing on her family's experience of the pandemic, as well as her husband's treatment and return to their family home, following his period in hospital.
