TV host Ranvir Singh put a stop to normal broadcasting on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (December 24) to check in on her friend and co-star. The presenter was due to host a segment on the latest news headlines, but delayed it for a few minutes as she showed concern for Kate Garraway.
The ITV show had been discussing the Prime Minister and King Charles’ Christmas messages when Ed Balls pointed out: “That’s a very important message about loneliness.”
Ranvir then halted the show as she cut in to ask Kate a personal question. She said to her co-star, who lost her husband Derek Draper earlier this year: “Yeah, can I ask you a question Kate, before I do the news?
“What erm… How are you feeling? We all think of you and Derek of course. And this time last year he was still with us.”
Kate replied: “Yeah, so it’s our first Christmas without him. I’ve been talking to Andi Peters, who lost his mum, and warned me that Christmas is the hardest time.
“I think this one will be particularly hard. But I’m lucky that I’ve got family around me and it’s distracting. But I think you do feel grief because that’s the point where you have the memories of previous years and you were lucky enough to still have them over the last four or five years, even though they were very ill.”
Ranvir asked: “Was he very ill this time last year?” Kate began to look somewhat tearful as she reflected: “He was, yes. He was in intensive care this time last year.
“But we were going in to him in intensive care. Inside my head I did fear this was a grim one, but the children didn’t. They were still very hopeful.
“So yeah, it’s a tough one this year and I think anyone who is experiencing grief, it does hit you when you feel something which is full of tradition and you have memories. It comes back. But I’m thinking of everybody else who’s feeling that.”
Ranvir issued her friend and co-star a warning about New Year as she shared her own experience of grief. She explained: “I always think my dad died in January, when I was young, and I never realised why I found New Year so excruciatingly painful.
“Like I always wanted to go to bed at 10, I couldn’t bear it. It’s only when I became an adult I realised it’s because my dad died on January 21st.
“Derek died in January and I just wondered if New Year is another weird time?” Kate replied: “Yeah, I’m not planning anything for New Year.
“I think it will just be a little moment where we’ll have thoughts. I think we will all go to the grave and have a little bit of time with him.”
Kate went on to thank he co-stars for caring as Ranvir replied that the whole nation cares about her and how she is feeling.