Derek Draper funeral attended by guests including Elton John and Tony Blair

At the funeral of former political lobbyist and current psychotherapist Derek Draper, celebrities such as Sir Elton John, Tony Blair, and Piers Morgan were in attendance.

John had previously asked Draper and his wife, Kate Garraway, who is a presenter on Good Morning Britain, to join him as special guests at his Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert held at the O2 Arena in London last year.

Draper became very sick in March 2020 when the pandemic first started, and he had to stay in the hospital for 13 months before he could leave. Since then, he hasn't gone to many events that were open to the public.

He passed away on the third of January at the age of 56 due to prolonged symptoms resulting from the coronavirus.

At 56 years old, Garraway donned a lengthy black coat and a necklace made of pearls. She walked behind the casket and welcomed the attendees before Draper's burial.

Celebrities from the popular morning show, Good Morning Britain, such as Charlotte Hawkins, Ben Shephard, Richard Madeley, Alex Beresford, Rob Rinder, Susanna Reid, Sean Fletcher, and Richard Arnold, made an appearance at the St Mary The Virgin Church which is located in the Primrose Hill area of northwest London, on a Friday.

In September 2005, Garraway and Draper got married in the church.

Fiona Phillips, a television presenter, and Martin Frizell, who was once the editor for This Morning, were present at an event along with Piers Morgan, a previous host for Good Morning Britain. All three of them used to work together on GMTV, which used to be a morning programme on ITV.

Former Labour politicians including Ed Balls, Peter Mandelson, and Tristram Hunt, alongside Ed Miliband, who is currently the secretary for climate change in the opposition, as well as the previous prime minister, Sir Tony Blair, and his wife Cherie Blair, and the previous director of communications for No 10, Alastair Campbell, all attended the service.

Draper used to work for Lord Mandelson as a researcher and played a significant role during the initial stages of the New Labour movement in the 90s.

Myleene Klass, who had previously taken over as host of Garraway's Smooth Radio program, was also present among those paying their respects.

Several notable figures were present at the funeral, including journalist Robert Peston, talent manager Jonathan Shalit, former political editor of GMTV and former Labour MP Gloria De Piero, and former Sky News political editor Adam Boulton.

Garraway, who is currently 56 years old, frequently shared information on her spouse's health during the early morning show on ITV. Additionally, she was the host of two shows on the network that delved into how her family's life altered after her partner became ill.

The duo had a pair of offspring, namely Darcey and Billy.

Draper, who was additionally a writer, entered the hospital in December following a heart attack.

Garraway shared on Instagram that her husband had passed away. She explained that he had been in critical condition since suffering a heart attack in early December. Unfortunately, previous damage that COVID-19 caused in March of 2020 led to additional health problems.

During Derek's last moments, his family was around him while I stayed with him, grasping his hand continuously until he breathed his last breath.

Back in April 2023, she had informed her listeners on Smooth Radio that John and his spouse, David Furnish, had given us tremendous support during the past three years.

She expressed her deep gratitude to Elton and David, emphasizing that she was unable to thank them enough.