Kate Garraway forced to suppress sadness over lost engagement ring: ‘I wanted to cry’

The Good Morning Britain presenter’s late husband Derek Draper died in 2024.

Just over one year after Kate Garraway’s husband Derek Draper died, she has opened up about her secret sadness over losing her engagement diamond.

The ever-positive Good Morning Britain star addressed her recent career highlights during an interview with HELLO! magazine when she revealed the diamond her late husband gave her went missing while she was working.

The unfortunate accident took place when Kate covered the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings for GMB in June 2024. She explained: “I was walking through the poppies, looked down and saw I’d lost it. I wanted to cry, I felt so sad, and I certainly can’t afford to replace it.”

However, she refrained from spending time looking for the diamond – which acted as a reminder of her love story with Derek – out of respect for her surroundings.

The Good Morning Britain star lost the diamond from her engagement ring while working

“But then I also thought, having retraced the steps of horror [of the D-Day landings] and their bravery, this wasn’t the moment to go: ‘My diamond ring!’

“It seemed way too frivolous. But I’m going to get some kind of cubic zirconia to put in there, because it looks sad and empty.”

 

Kate’s engagement ring.

Derek proposed to Kate twice; first before their 2005 nuptials, and then again when she came out of the I’m A Celebrity jungle in 2019, just weeks before the outbreak of Covid-19.

 

Kate normally stacks three rings on her left hand, including her square-cut engagement ring, her wedding ring, and an eternity ring.

 

After Derek fell ill in 2019 – becoming the longest surviving patient with coronavirus after 184 days in and out of intensive care – Kate admitted she became particularly attached to her rings and refused to take them off.

 

After one fan expressed concerns she might lose her rings while gardening, Kate replied: “I know what you mean – but have never taken it off [and] now fear it’ll be a jinx if I do,” referring to Derek’s health.