Kate Garraway on Derek’s Story NTA nod: I would like carers to get some focus

Kate Garraway has said she would love her latest documentary on her late husband, Derek Draper, to be recognised with a National Television Award (NTA) because she would like carers to “get some focus”.

The Good Morning Britain star has landed a third nomination in the best authored documentary category, this time for Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story which followed the final year of Draper’s life.

She announced in January this year that the former political lobbyist had died at the age of 56 after a lengthy battle with the long-term effects of Covid.

Her latest documentary follows on from two other programmes about Draper’s battle with Covid and her struggles navigating the care system, which both picked up NTA gongs in the category in 2021 and 2022.

The Good Morning Britain team congratulated Garraway on her latest nomination on Tuesday, with entertainment presenter Richard Arnold noting it will be a hat-trick if she wins the prize.

She said: “It will be a hat-trick. Apparently you never win three.

“But I would love it to do well. I would love people to recognise it, because it was Derek’s story, and also it was really all about carers, unpaid and paid, and I’d like them to get some focus, really.”

In the ITV documentary, which was completed after Draper’s death, Garraway reveals she was spending £16,000 a month on basic care for her husband, which caused her to rack up huge debts because it was more than her ITV salary.

Earlier this year, she told ITV’s This Morning she does not “regret or begrudge” the large debts and she felt “lucky” to have a job where “people understood and gave her time to rush off to hospital at a moment’s notice”.

She also praised the professional carers who looked after Draper and said society has to make caretaking a “priority” because we are all likely to need care, or be a carer, at some stage in our lives.

Former England football captain David Beckham and pop star Robbie Williams are also shortlisted for NTAs in the authored documentary category for their Netflix docuseries, as well as actress Rose Ayling-Ellis for her documentary which explores attitudes to the deaf community, and comedian Rhod Gilbert, for his, which explores his cancer treatment.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office has been shortlisted for the new drama prize after the ITV drama drew renewed attention to the subpostmasters who were wrongly prosecuted during the Horizon IT scandal.

Actor Toby Jones also receives a nod in the drama performance category for his role as former subpostmaster Sir Alan Bates, one of more than 550 claimants who have brought legal action against the Post Office.

The ITV drama will face tough competition from Netflix hit Baby Reindeer, romantic drama One Day and thrillers Fool Me Once and Red Eye for the prize.

Meanwhile, Jones will go up against actress Jessica Gunning, who has also been nominated for the drama performance gong for her role as Martha Scott in dark comedy thriller Baby Reindeer, in which her character stalks comedian Donny Dunn after he offers her a free cup of tea in the pub where he works.

They will go head to head against Fool Me Once star Michelle Keegan for her role as Maya Stern, Brenda Blethyn for her starring role in Vera, and Vicky McClure’s role as Lana Washington in crime thriller Trigger Point.

The returning drama prize will also be hotly contested, with Vera and Trigger Point nominated against Netflix hit Bridgerton, royal drama The Crown, and medical drama Call The Midwife.

Elsewhere in the talent show category, Strictly Come Dancing has been nominated as it continues to battle a storm of controversy over the alleged treatment of contestants on the show.

It has been shortlisted alongside MasterChef, Britain’s Got Talent, The Great British Bake Off and The Voice UK.

Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly will seek to extend their winning streak in the TV presenter category to a historic 23rd year, but face competition from This Morning’s Alison Hammond, Strictly Come Dancing and The Traitors star Claudia Winkleman, The Chase and Gladiators host Bradley Walsh, and TV star Stacey Solomon.

The final round of voting will now begin ahead of the awards ceremony on September 11 at London’s O2 arena, which British comedian Joel Dommett will return to host.