‘Incredibly brave’: Kate Garraway’s Good Morning Britain co-hosts react to Finding Derek

Susannah Reid, Ranvir Singh and Ben Shephard discussed the documentary on air

Kate Garraway’s Good Morning Britain co-stars have praised her documentary, Finding Derek, after it aired on ITV last night (23 March).

The one-off documentary follows presenter Garraway and her husband Derek Draper, who has been in hospital for a year. After contracting coronavirus last March, Draper was placed in an induced coma.

At one heartbreaking point in the film, Draper breaks down in tears and mouths in desperation: “I don’t know how to cope.”

Reacting to the film, Susannah Reid said Draper was always “bursting with pride” for Garraway and that he would again be “so proud” of her for her bravery in this new documentary.

Ranvir Singh didn’t watch the documentary as it aired as she knew it would be difficult to sleep afterwards, but she recalled discussing parenthood with Draper in December. She said: “I just stood with Derek for ages and I had talked to Kate about parenting issues in the past, because I’m a single mum, so she said to talk to Derek. His love for his children... he gave me all this amazing advice.”

Read more:

• Kate Garraway says she may have to give up Good Morning Britain job
• Derek Draper: The year-long Covid battle of Kate Garraway’s husband
• Who is Derek Draper and how did he meet Kate Garraway?

She continued: “It just brings back that in his heart, being a family man, when Kate said the kids are so resilient it’s because he filled them up with so much love for this moment, that they didn’t know was around corner.”

Ben Shephard added: “It’s an incredibly brave thing to do, to share her story, such a personal story.”

Reid agreed: “It is a real challenge for them and while many have been affected over the past year, that battle goes on for Derek and for Kate.”

Praising the “resilience” of Garraway and her children, she and Shephard said that they couldn’t imagine anybody not being “moved” by the documentary.

Piers Morgan and Lorraine Kelly were among the celebrities to praise the documentary on Twitter.

The Independent’s critic Fiona Sturges gave Finding Derek four stars, calling it an “enormously moving documentary that should be compulsory viewing for all Covid deniers”.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.