Kate Garraway made a desperate 12-hour flight home from Mexico with husband Derek Draper, where he had been undergoing specialist treatment, after he suffered a cardiac arrest last month.

The GMB host announced the death of her husband of 18 years at the age of 56 on Instagram on Friday morning, almost four years after he first fell seriously ill with Covid resulting in a plague of health woes.

Now The Sun reports Kate and Derek ventured to Mexico ‘without fanfare’ in November for treatment which went ‘incredibly well’ only for him to suffer a cardiac arrest ahead of their return home in time for Christmas.

Ex-lobbyist Derek was stabilised and put in an air ambulance for the 12-hour flight, with his beloved wife by his side.

With a source telling the publication: ‘The treatment went incredibly well, and his doctor and all the consultants were hugely optimistic about his long-term progress, and future’.

Kate Garraway made a desperate 12-hour flight home from Mexico with husband Derek Draper, where he had been undergoing specialist treatment, after he suffered a cardiac arrest last month (pictured in October)

The GMB host announced the death of her husband of 18 years at the age of 56 on Instagram on Friday morning, almost four years after he first fell seriously ill with Covid resulting in a plague of health woes (pictured April 2023)

‘Unfortunately as Kate excitedly returned to bring Derek home he suffered a cardiac arrest’.

The broadcaster was by Derek’s side in intensive care in Mexico and worked with UK doctors who oversaw his return via a specialist plane.

Adding: ‘Unfortunately, despite the doctors in Mexico getting his heart beating stably again, Covid damage meant further complications ultimately affected his chance of recovery.’

Derek then returned to hospital where he spent his final Christmas with Kate and their children Darcey, 17, and Billy, 14, at his bedside.

A source told The Sun: ‘Unfortunately Derek was too unwell for doctors to allow him home for Christmas. But the last thing Kate wanted was for him to be alone during the holidays.

‘So they brought Christmas to him, food, presents and all. The whole family was there with him and they had the best day they could.’

Kate frequently kept fans updated on his health struggles and his difficult journey during his Covid battle, previously sharing his heartbreaking last request before he was hospitalised.

While Derek was waiting for an ambulance before being taken to hospital in March 2020, he asked his two beloved children  to ‘look after’ Kate.

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According to reports Kate and Derek ventured to Mexico ‘without fanfare’ in November for treatment which went ‘incredibly well’ only for him to suffer a cardiac arrest ahead of their return home in time for Christmas (pictured together in 2007)

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Ex-lobbyist Derek was stabilised and put in an air ambulance for the 12-hour flight, with his beloved wife by his side (pictured 2019)

This Morning pays emotional tribute to the late Derek Draper

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He told them: ‘You’re the best children anybody could ever have asked for. Look after Mum, be good for her”,’ Kate previously shared while discussing his Covid battle in June 2020.

Derek was in and out of hospital after he fell seriously ill with coronavirus at the very start of the pandemic in March 2020, and was left with lasting damage to his organs.

Doctors put him in a medically induced coma and he became the longest-suffering coronavirus patient in the UK after spending 13 months in hospital, away from Kate and their two children.

However, he was readmitted several times with numerous health issues, including kidney failure, brain inflammation and liver damage.

Kate previously praised the children’s handling of their late father’s illness and gave an insight into their precious relationship.

She said her children tried to remain positive when Derek was first hospitalised in 2020, and would chat to him over video call when they were unable to visit him due to lockdown restrictions.

The television presenter told HELLO! magazine: ‘We’re keeping positive and doing everything we can to bring him around.

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Derek then returned to hospital where he spent his final Christmas with Kate and their children Darcey, 17, and Billy, 14, at his bedside (pictured 2019)

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Kate has praised her two children for the way they handled her husband Derek Draper’s Covid battle (the family are pictured in 2021)

Kate Garraway reveals husband Derek could spend Christmas at home

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‘The children and I communicate with him every day on FaceTime, while a nurse holds his iPad. My priority is to make the children feel safe, not to let them see me feeling vulnerable in the world where Derek was my rock.’

She added: ‘During their chats, they tell him what they’ve been doing, and their sense of humour often shines through. Darcey, who wants to be a barrister, said: “Dad, you’d better get better soon because I’m getting cleverer every day. You’ll never win an argument if you don’t get well soon”.’

Kate also praised her ‘heroic’ children for knowing ‘how to communicate’ with their father when he returned home from hospital but was left unable to talk due to his illness in 2021.

She told Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2 at the time: ‘He isn’t really able to speak at the moment so he can’t tell him off, I have to be the bad guy! They are besides themselves to have him home. They are my heroes.

‘They know instinctively how to talk to him but not ask too much from him. In a way that grownups want to see the old Derek, they have an instinct, there is a lot of love there.’

On Friday January 5, Kate emotionally paid tribute to Derek and gushed that she was ‘so lucky’ to have him as she confirmed his death.

She  to Instagram to share a heartfelt post announced the passing of her husband following a long battle with Covid.

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Kate shared that she was by her husband’s side ‘holding his hand’ during his final hours as she penned an emotional tribute alongside a smiling picture of Derek

Kate Garraway reveals her husband Derek Draper is back in hospital

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Kate also shared that she was by her husband’s side ‘holding his hand’ during his final hours and gushed that she was ‘so lucky’ to have him in her life.

She wrote: ‘I’m sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away.

She confirmed he had died at the age of 56 after suffering a heart attack before Christmas and thanked the medical teams who fought ‘so hard to save him’.

‘As some of you may know he has been critically ill following a cardiac arrest in early December which, because of the damage inflicted by Covid in March 2020, led to further complications.

‘Derek was surrounded by his family in his final days and I was by his side holding his hand throughout the last long hours and when he passed.

‘I have so much more to say, and of course I will do so in due course, but for now I just want to thank all the medical teams who fought so hard to save him and to make his final moments as comfortable and dignified as possible.

‘Sending so much love and thanks to all of you who have so generously given our family so much support. Rest gently and peacefully now Derek, my love, I was so lucky to have you in my life.’

A timeline of Derek Draper’s coronavirus battle

MARCH  2020

Kate revealed she and Prince Charles had got ‘relatively close’ at the Prince’s Trust Awards on March 11 – Charles was diagnosed with coronavirus in mid-March.

She said: ‘Around the 29/30 March, I came home came in and said [to Derek] ‘god you look ill.’

‘He said he had a headache, numbness in his right hand, and was struggling to breathe,

‘I rang Dr Hilary (Jones) and tried to get through, he talked to Derek. He said put me back on, I think you need to call an ambulance’

Derek, 52, was taken into hospital on March 30 and remained in an unresponsive condition.

APRIL

Kate and her children isolated at home after she displayed ‘mild symptoms’.

Kate said: ‘Derek remains in intensive care and is still very ill. I’m afraid it remains an excruciatingly worrying time.

‘I’m afraid he is still in a deeply critical condition, but he is still here, which means there is hope.’

MAY 

Kate said: ‘The journey for me and my family seems to be far from over as every day my heart sinks as I learn new and devastating ways this virus has more battles for Derek to fight.

‘But he is still HERE & so there is still hope.’

That month, Kate and her family took part in the final clap for carers

She said: ‘I’ll never give up on that because Derek’s the love of my life but at the same time I have absolute uncertainty’

JUNE 

On June 5, Kate revealed Derek is now free from coronavirus but continues to fight against the damage inflicted on his body

JULY 

On July 5, Kate revealed Derek has woken from his coma but he remains in a serious yet critical condition.

On July 8, she announced she would be returning to GMB, after being urged by doctors to ‘get on with life’ during Derek’s recovery.

She added that Derek had ‘opened his eyes’ after waking from his coma, but has been told his recovery could take years.

On July 13, Kate returned to GMB for the first time since Derek was hospitalised.

On July 28, Kate revealed she’d paid an ‘extra emotional’ first visit to Derek, and admitted she’s ‘frustrated’ by his slow progress.

AUGUST

On August 14, Kate reassured GMB viewers that Derek was ‘still with us,’ but it was ‘a waiting game.’

On August 19, Kate revealed she celebrated Derek’s birthday with their two children, and described the day as ‘challenging’ for her family.

 SEPTEMBER

At the end of September, Derek reportedly becomes the longest surviving patient with coronavirus after spending 184 days in and out of intensive care.

Kate reveals Derek has lost eight stone during his battle.

The presenter announces she is returning to her Smooth Radio show so Derek can hear her voice.

OCTOBER

On October 30 Kate reveals that Derek has spoken for the first time in seven months, saying the word ‘pain’ to his wife, who watched on ‘in tears’ over FaceTime.

Kate says a day later that her husband no longer needs a ventilator to breathe.

NOVEMBER 

Kate reveals her family car has been stolen in latest ‘body blow’ to her family life, as kind-hearted fans offer their cars to help.

She says she feels ‘physically sick’ at the prospect of facing her first Christmas without Derek.

DECEMBER 

The GMB star tells viewers it is her dream to visit Derek on Christmas Day.

She also reveals she missed two weeks on GMB after her children were exposed to the virus, but thankfully she and the kids tested negative.

On December 17, Kate has an emotional conversation live on GMB with two nurses who treated Derek when he was first admitted to Whittington Hospital in North London.

On New Year’s Eve she reflects on a ‘calamitous’ Christmas without Derek, as her house was flooded and she struggled to get a food delivery slot until her pal Emma Willis stepped in to help.

JANUARY 2021

Kate reveals she and her children got to visit Derek in hospital over the Christmas period, and it was the first time her family had seen him since he was hospitalised.

She also says she’s banned from seeing him due to new restrictions introduced during the government’s third lockdown.

FEBRUARY 

Kate reveals she is unsure how much Derek will ‘ever be able to recover’ following warning from doctors that he may never wake from his coma

MARCH

Kate revealed that was in the process of adapting her home to suit Derek’s needs when he is finally released from hospital, in the ITV documentary Finding Derek.

The programmed was praised by viewers for offering a heartbreaking look at the long-term effects of coronavirus.

Kate also revealed that Derek has ‘no muscle left’ since battling Covid

APRIL

Kate revealed that Derek was finally allowed to leave hospital, but would require round-the-clock care once he was returned home.

MAY

Kate revealed that despite now being home with his family, his communication abilities were ‘minimal’ and he ‘couldn’t really move’

DECEMBER

During an appearance on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, Kate revealed that Derek had said ‘I love you’ for the first time.

After celebrating Christmas, Derek was also pictured in a wheelchair during a trip to the pantomime with his family

JANUARY 2022

Kate revealed that Derek was ‘very fatigued’ and ‘very weak’ following the family outing, adding: ‘I don’t know what this year is going to bring.’

FEBRUARY

Kate offered a glimpse into the daily struggles of looking after her husband amid his battle with long Covid in the documentary Caring For Derek

She also revealed that Derek would die within three days if he was left alone to care for himself.

JULY

On July 6, Kate revealed that Derek had been re-admitted to hospital after suffering a ‘downturn,’ and in a later interview said she takes things ‘day by day.’

On July 20, it was reported that Kate had pulled out of hosting Good Morning Britain to be at Derek’s bedside after he took a ‘very serious’ turn for the worse.

Recalling the day, the presenter told The Sun: ‘At one point Derek said to me, “This is it, this time. I am gone.” It was just terrifying.

‘His sepsis was gut-wrenching for all of us because it had gone undiagnosed until the point where it was about to take his life away again.’

JANUARY 2023

Kate became overwhelmed as she confronted former health secretary Matt Hancock over his handling of the pandemic and his decision to go on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here.

She then became tearful and looked up as she spoke about Derek, who has been unwell for approaching three years.

Describing public anger towards him, Kate added of his decision: ‘This gives the impression you still don’t get why they are cross. You still don’t get why people are upset. They want to hold you to more account.’

APRIL 

Kate revealed that Derek was once again receiving care in hospital, as she shared the emotional moment Sir Elton John dedicated a song to the ‘inspiring’ couple.

She shared the emotional moment Sir Elton John dedicated a song to the ‘inspiring’ couple, writing on Instagram: ‘Yes Derek has been back in hospital this week & yes there’s such a long road ahead but #eltonjohn & @davidfurnish you gave the kids & Derek a moment that we will never forget and has lifted their spirits again to feel anything is possible.’

It was also reported that Kate was planning a trip across the world for pioneering treatment in a ‘final hope’ to help her husband.

MAY

Kate reportedly faced a huge £716,000 tax bill after she was forced to close her husband’s business two years after he became stricken with Covid-19.

The final total will be settled within the coming weeks, with friends insisting she will pay whatever is owed.

A friend told The Sun: ‘The figures are terrifying and Kate is of course worried about all the financial pressures, but she has to trust the process.

‘When it comes to an end, she is determined to pay back anything that’s owed.

‘It’s no secret that Kate has been battling to keep her husband alive and working through some heartbreaking situations in her personal life in recent years.

‘Sadly as well as the emotional stress of Derek’s terrible illnesses the financial burden has also been crippling.’

DECEMBER 

Derek was left fighting for his life after suffering a heart attack.

Kate held a 24/7 vigil by his bedside and cancelled all work commitments while the family ‘prayed for a miracle’.

A source said: ‘It was sudden and a shock as he had been doing so well and was in great spirits, looking forward to Christmas at home with the family.

‘This setback has been a huge blow for his family and all the people caring for him. Kate is by his side 24 hours a day and is willing him on to win this latest battle for his life.

‘Derek has fought so many times, and always, against all odds, come out the other side.’

JANUARY 2024

Kate announced on January 5 that Derek had passed away.

She said: ‘Derek was surrounded by his family in his final days and I was by his side holding his hand throughout the last long hours and when he passed.

‘I have so much more to say, and of course I will do so in due course, but for now I just want to thank all the medical teams who fought so hard to save him and to make his final moments as comfortable and dignified as possible’.

MailOnline understands he passed away on January 3 in a North London  hospital.

He is survived by wife Kate and their children Darcey, 17, and son William, 14.