KATE Garraway has shared a fresh heartache on election day following the death of her husband Derek Draper.
The Good Morning Britain host, 57, bravely fought for the life of her husband, a former Labour party advisor who was struck down with Covid-19 in 2020 and never recovered from the complications.
Derek died in January this year at the age of 56 after succumbing to his illness after a near four-year battle that severely damaged his internal organs.
Appearing on GMB this morning, Kate said she had a fresh pang of sadness over an issue arising over polling cards.
Sitting alongside co-host Adil Ray, she said: “I haven’t had one for myself. The only polling card that’s come through the door is for Derek, sadly, who’s passed away.”
Kate is just one of thousands of voters who have been caught up in postal ballot problems regarding the General Election taking place today.
As the nation casts their vote for which political party they want to represent them, some have not received their cards as they head to the polls, sparking mounting concern that some may not be able to have their day.
Up to 10 million people could be using postal votes this year, up 20% from previous years.
Derek was a longtime supporter of the Labour party, working his way up the political ladder from 1990. He later studied clinical psychotherapy and launched his own business.
After falling ill with Covid in March 2020, he fell into a coma and was put on a ventilator, spending 13 months in hospital and suffering irreparable damage as a result.
Kate became his primary carer, with the family’s fight for his health becoming central to several documentaries, including the much-praised Finding Derek.
When he returned home in April 2021, he required round-the-clock care, which caused Kate to rack up phenomenal bills of around £16,000 a month.
Kate later revealed she had to dip into her pension fund in order to finance his care, and in documentary Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story, she exposed how families caring for seriously ill loved ones at home are routinely left underfunded.
She told cameras: “How can anybody afford £16,000 a month?
“Derek’s care costs more than my salary. And that’s before you pay for a mortgage, before you pay for any household bills, before you pay for anything for the kids.
“I am in debt and I can’t earn enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek’s care.
“I can’t even use the money I do have to support Derek’s recovery because it’s going on the basics all the time.”
Derek suffered life-threatening sepsis in August 2022, and had a heart attack in December 2023, before passing away.
After his death, Kate was hit with further financial strife after being hit with a £150,000 bill from liquidators over Derek’s business.
She was forced to call in legal advisors after being left £1.5million in debt from the cost of his care and money owed to the taxman.
