Elton John, Tony Blair Join Good Morning Britain Host Kate Garraway At Husband Derek Draper’s Funeral

 
Draper

Former prime minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair attend the funeral service of Derek Draper at St Mary the Virgin church in Primrose Hill, north west London. (Press Association via AP Images)

Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway was surrounded by celebrity friends and her late husband Derek Draper’s political colleagues as he was laid to rest Friday.

The funeral, held at the Church of St Mary The Virgin in Primrose Hill, London, the same church in which they were married.

Among the mourners were personalities from across the spectrum of British public life, including Sir Elton John, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, and former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair.

Attendees also included Garraway’s GMB colleagues such as Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard.

Draper, a former New Labour political lobbyist, died this month of cardiac arrest following a four year battle with long Covid following his infection with the virus early in the pandemic. He was remembered for his political acumen as well as his kindness as a father and friend.

Blair delivered a tribute painted a picture of a man of contradiction: a “ruthless political operative” with a “loving, kind, generous” spirit, a duality that made him a formidable yet beloved figure in his professional and personal circles.

Draper’s battle with Covid and its aftermath had been a public saga, marked by Garraway’s transparent sharing of their struggles as a family in dealing with her husband’s declining health.

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