Kate Garraway’s late husband’s Derek’s last email was to sort out his income protection. But the cover was never finalised as he was one of the many millions who would fall victim to the Covid pandemic.
The Good Morning Britain host made the revelation at an event organised to celebrate the Income Protection Task Force’s (IPTF) 20th birthday at Scottish Widows’ offices in the City of London yesterday.
Garraway’s husband Derek Draper was diagnosed with Covid at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and he remained in hospital in a critical condition for a year.
But when a second wave hit the UK in April 2021, he returned home on a trial basis. He continued to suffer numerous medical complications due to Covid and passed away in January 2024.
Living on emergency measures
Pictured left in conversation with IPTF MD, Jo Miller, Garraway revealed that the cost of Derek’s care was £4,500 a week and financially the family were living on “emergency measures”.
“I felt like we were living in that Titanic moment where you think nothing else matters, we will just spend what needs to be spent today,” Garraway said.
“Whether that be we’re going to get an enormous paddling pool to keep the kids happy from Amazon or whether it be God, we need to pay for this treatment, whatever.”
Sad irony
While Garraway revealed she was burning through her financial reserves at a fast rate, the irony was one of Derek’s last emails was sent to set up income protection for him.
“And he said, this sounds great – let’s go ahead,” Garraway continued.
“And the guy emailed back and by the time the guy emailed back to get him to sign, I couldn’t get into his accounts for ages. I was like a 1950s housewife as I did earn some money, but he did everything, so I was completely all at sea and didn’t know what to do.
“I couldn’t even get into my bank account the first month or so. I couldn’t pay bills. I was hopeless.”
Dramatic drop in income
Garraway added that while Derek had professional income protection as a psychotherapist, he did not have any cover to protect him or indeed his business if it went under.
And while Garraway did have income protection, due to the nature of her work, if she does not work, she does not get paid and she had to have nine months off so the income coming into the house at the time went down dramatically.
“I don’t think I had the right income protection,” she continued.
“I probably still don’t, so you all need to sell your products. I don’t think I do. It never got to the top of the list.
“And I think maybe like a lot of people, you look at the amount you pay per month and you look at the cost of your life and you think it will never happen,” Garraway added.
“If he’d had life insurance – and also a lot of life insurance gives you protection if you’re diagnosed with a fatal condition and at the time the doctors said, he will not survive – that would have kicked in.
“But he didn’t have that.
“That would have allowed me to keep paying the mortgage in a better way, allowed him to keep paying the mortgage.”
Biggest sadness
Not being able to fulfil his role as a provider proved one of Derek’s deepest sorrows after he regained the ability to speak, Garraway said.
“His biggest sadness was letting us down.
“Part of that was being the provider and being the father figure to do it, so we were both very ignorant of that and we didn’t have proper protection,” she added.