TV presenter Kate Garraway has been hit with yet another financial blow after being locked out of her bank accounts, adding to a growing list of money-related challenges following the death of her husband, Derek Draper.
The Good Morning Britain host took to Twitter to plea for urgent help from Barclays Bank, stating: “@Barclays please please get in touch with me – I have not been able to access any of my Barclays accounts current or savings since Friday due to changing my phone handset and can’t get through to anyone on customer service.”
This incident comes as Garraway continues to deal with serious financial strain. She has spoken candidly in recent months about falling into debt after spending £16,000 per month on care for Derek, who passed away in early 2024 at the age of 56, after a long-term battle with the effects of Covid-19.
In previous interviews and her recent documentary, Garraway revealed the true financial toll of managing full-time care. “Derek’s care costs more than my salary from ITV, and that is before you pay for a mortgage, before you pay any household bills, before you pay for anything for the kids, so we are at a crunch point. I am in debt,” she admitted, told the Daily Mail.
She added, “I can’t earn enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek’s care, and I can’t even use the money I do have to support Derek’s recovery because it’s going on the basics all the time.”
Garraway has also confessed to tapping into her pension fund to cover overdue expenses. “I’ve just had to withdraw the bit you can tax-free for my pension to pay belated bills for my husband, who passed away,” she shared. “I am ashamed of the fact that I am in debt because I have an incredible job that I love, which is very well paid.”
Further compounding her troubles, new documents from HMRC indicate nearly £140,000 in loan debts remain from her late husband’s business, along with a £288,000 tax bill. The company reportedly has no remaining assets. A spokesperson for Garraway responded: “Kate has met all that the liquidators of Derek’s company have asked for and more over the past 4 years. She doesn’t recognise these figures and is shocked that it’s being presented in this way by them.”
The spokesperson added, “Caring for Derek and supporting her family when Derek could no longer run his own businesses has taken a huge financial toll on her but she’s determined to put things right.”
