Kate Garraway was married to her husband Derek Draper for 18 years before his tragic death in January 2024 due to long covid. Now, nearly two years on, the mother-of-two has opened up about how she feels when it comes to finding love again. Kate told the Sun: "I don't feel as if I can. It's weird one, because I wouldn't like to think I'd spend the rest of my life without love, but also it feels preposterous at the moment to think of being with anyone else."What Derek and I loved was our home life and just pottering around, and we had 21 years of that, so mentally I am still in that zone." Kate added: "However, I do realise that, when the time is right, I am not to meet someone in my living room, so I am going to have to think about the future at some point."
Kate married Derek in 2005 a the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Primrose Hill, London. Earlier this year, Kate sat down with HELLO! for an exclusive interview, she revealed the diamond her late husband gave her went missing while she was working. The unfortunate accident took place when Kate covered the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings for GMB in June 2024. She explained: "I was walking through the poppies, looked down and saw I’d lost it. I wanted to cry, I felt so sad, and I certainly can’t afford to replace it."
© James Gourley/ITV/ShutterstockHowever, she refrained from spending time looking for the diamond – which acted as a reminder of her love story with Derek – out of respect for her surroundings. "But then I also thought, having retraced the steps of horror [of the D-Day landings] and their bravery, this wasn’t the moment to go: 'My diamond ring!' "It seemed way too frivolous. But I’m going to get some kind of cubic zirconia to put in there, because it looks sad and empty."
In 2020, the couple had planned to renew their wedding vows for their 15th wedding anniversary but they were forced to spend it apart as Derek was unable to receive hospital visitors on that particular day. At the time, Kate said on GMB: "We had him on FaceTime and we raised a glass and said 'Happy Anniversary'."
© Photo: FacebookKate continued: "I'm maybe going to go through all the cards he's written to me on our anniversary. He was a prolific card writer for birthdays and things, he would always remember. And when I say 'was', it's not like he's not still here - he's still here and hopefully he'll do it again. When you look back at the stack [of cards] it makes you think."
