Sir Elton John reportedly moved everyone to tears at the funeral of Kate Garraway's husband, Derek Draper thanks to a touching musical tribute.
Good Morning Britain presenter Kate - who is due to return to our screens on Monday for the first time in two months - attended the service with her children, Darcey and Billy. Derek, a former political advisor, passed away aged 56 at the start of this year, after battling long covid for four years.
Sir Elton and his husband David Furnish were among the attendees paying their respects to Derek at his funeral on Friday, with it reported Sir Elton performed 'Skyline Pigeon', a song from 1972, in tribute to the late dad-of-two. The lyrics include: "Turn me loose from your hands, let me fly to distant lands, over green fields, trees and mountains, home along the lanes of the skyway".
Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish attended Derek Draper's funeral on Friday (PA)
Kate Garraway announced her husband's death on Instagram at the start of January (James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Derek's service took place on Candlemas Day, so everyone left holding lit candles. Elton is a close friend of Kate's and has been supporting her since Derek first fell ill with Covid in 2020. As a special tribute, Kate wore Derek's watch to the funeral, which was held at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Primrose Hill.
A source shared with MailOnline: "Kate wore Derek's watch so that she could carry a little piece of him on the day, and everyone was, of course, so kind to her. Quite simply, the public outpouring of support has kept her going. It was a heart-wrenching day, but an incredible send-off for a wonderful man".
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The funeral saw many familiar faces, including former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, politician Sir Kier Starmer, and Kate's GMB colleagues and friends like Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard. In a touching moment, Kate's daughter, Darcey, helped carry her father's coffin into the church. Kate watched on, holding son Billy's hand tightly.
Kate gave a heartfelt speech for her husband of nearly 20 years at the service. Throughout the day, Kate was seen in all black, her blonde hair styled into loose waves. She wore a knitted turtle neck jumper, a black satin skirt, button-down wool coat and matching boots. The grieving star's outfit was completed with a triple-layered pearl necklace, and a silver diamond bracelet.
The mum-of-two will return to work on Monday, just days on from laying her husband to rest. Good Morning Britain have confirmed Kate will be back on our screens next week, with it claimed the presenter is keen to keep busy and give her children some "normality" following Derek's death.
"Kate has had an incredibly rough past couple of months, and it has taken its toll mentally and physically," a source told The Sun on Saturday. "But she is a workhorse, and journalism, being on live TV, runs through her blood — it’s what she knows and loves. Kate is keen to keep busy and get stuck back into work."
The source added to the publication that Kate feels it is "the perfect time" to be reunited with her Good Morning Britain colleagues and everyone that works on the ITV show has been "hugely supportive" of Kate and can't wait to welcome her back into the studio next week.
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