Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid has described Kate Garraway and Derek Draper as “superstars” after Sir Elton John dedicated a song to the couple in his latest performance.
The broadcaster shared the message while hosting the ITV show with former politician Ed Balls on Wednesday morning (19 April).
Entertainment correspondent Richard Arnold revealed on the show that Garraway and Derek received a special tribute from Sir Elton during his show at The O2 Arena on Monday night (17 April).
He told Reid and Balls: “Our very own Kate Garraway and Derek were serenaded last night by none other than Sir Elton John himself.
“He spied them in the audience at The O2 and dedicated the track ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me’ to them, telling the rest of the arena how thrilled he was, calling them an inspiring couple.”
The tribute comes as Draper continues treatment and recovery from Covid-19. He contracted the virus in the early days of the pandemic and had to be hospitalised for more than a year.
He has since returned home but needs round-the-clock care, which is provided by Garraway and a team of specialists.
Reacting to Sir Elton’s move, Reid said: “That is so emotional, what a superstar. As are you, Kate and Derek.”
Following the performance, which was part of the 76-year-old pop icon’s farewell tour, Garraway took to her Smooth Radio show to thank him and explained that the tribute was particularly special because she hadn’t known if Draper could attend “right up to the last minute”.
“It took weeks of planning and just days before, it looked like he would be too sick to attend,” she told listeners on Tuesday (18 April).
“But as soon as we got into the stadium and Elton went on stage, he started weeping tears of joy and squeezed my hand so tightly.”
Garraway has given regular updates about Draper’s health since he contracted Covid. Last year, she released an ITV documentary titled Kate Garraway: Finding Derek that charted how much their lives have changed.
Earlier this year, she opened up about the soaring cost of his treatment and addressed any “assumptions” that they may get “special treatment” because of her appearances on TV.
“We haven’t jumped any queues, which is just as it should be. There are only so many resources, and we are still waiting on referrals from almost three years ago,” she said.
“As anyone with a loved one who is seriously ill knows, the costs go through the roof in so many ways. You have to make changes to your home and it affects your ability to work.”
