Kate Garraway accused of ‘insensitivity’ after Derek Draper death

Kate Garraway disclosed that she faced online attacks from trolls criticizing her for laughter during her return to Good Morning Britain on Thursday.

Following the passing of her 56-year-old husband Derek Draper, the TV presenter displayed resilience as she returned to work this week, joining co-host Ben Shepherd.

Engaging in a discussion with actor Larry Lamb and Marie Curie bereavement counsellor Claire Collins, Kate shared insights into the online hate she encountered.

She said: “I got a bit of flack on social media yesterday for laughing with you [Ben] as if that implied I didn’t care… I have to laugh!”

The segment focused on the widespread feelings of grief shared by millions who lost loved ones during the Covid pandemic.

Kate admitted she has been feeling ‘very numb’ since the loss of Derek and is only at the first stages of grief as a result of what Covid did to her family.

She said: “We were talking around this time last year, about the day of reflection and the importance of it.

“And I mean, obviously, I’m in a different place to talk about it now. And I’m very aware of the sensation of grief, although also very aware that actually I’m only at the first stages and there’s so many different stages of it all.”

Kate later said: “We are not equipped for loss. No one is equipped for it. Nobody wants to be able to face it but we are all going to come against it at some point in our lives.”

The GMB host went on to say that her children have been struggling with how to deal with other people who feel uncomfortable around them.

She said: “I’m trying to help my children, one thing they’ve said is that people don’t know what to say to them. They want to help other people to feel comfortable with them. Not to ignore it, but to help..”

Kate added: “Ben wants to know how to support me, so how does he do that?”

Kate returned to presenting duties on Thursday for the first time since the death of her husband, telling delighted viewers that “life has to start again” and “nothing has changed”.