Good Morning Britain‘s Kate Garraway has said she hopes her documentary about the last year of her husband Derek Draper’s life brings some “focus” to carers and their role.
The broadcaster has landed a third nomination in the best authored documentary category at the National Television Awards (NTAs) for Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story.
Her Good Morning Britain colleagues congratulated her on her latest nomination on Tuesday’s show (August 20) and entertainment presenter Richard Arnold pointed out it will be a hat-trick if she takes home the gong.
“It will be a hat-trick. Apparently, you never win three. But I would love it to do well. I would love people to recognise it, because it was Derek’s story, and also it was really all about carers, unpaid and paid, and I’d like them to get some focus, really,” she admitted.
This latest documentary was followed by two other programmes about Derek’s battle with Covid and her struggles navigating the care system. Both picked up NTAs in the same category in 2021 and 2022.
Kate is up against former England football captain David Beckham and pop star Robbie Williams who are also shortlisted for the award for their respective Netflix docuseries.
Former EastEnders star and Strictly Come Dancing winner Rose Ayling-Ellis has also been acknowledged for her documentary which explored attitudes to the deaf community, as has comedian Rhod Gilbert, for his film which detailed his cancer treatment.
Derek had battled long-Covid since 2020 and at the end of last year, he suffered from a cardiac arrest. Kate announced his death in January in a heartbreaking statement.
Despite being unsure about whether to release the ITV documentary, which aired in March, both Kate and Derek felt it was important to raise awareness.
The couple’s children Billy and Darcey also appeared in the programme as Kate shared the realities of caring for her husband at home.
During one candid moment, the ITV host broke down in tears as she recalled his “crippling care costs”.
“Derek’s care costs more than my salary from ITV and that’s before you pay for a mortgage, before you pay for any household bills, before you pay for anything for the kids,” Kate shared.
“So we’re at a crunch point. I am in debt and I can’t earn enough money to cover my debt because I’m managing Derek’s care. And 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.”
She added: “Listen, I’m not going to pretend that I’m poorly paid, I have an incredible job that I love which is well paid, but it’s not enough.”
The winners of the NTAs will be announced on September 11.
