Sir Elton John attends Derek Draper funeral in Primrose Hill

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, musician Sir Elton John and former prime minister Sir Tony Blair were among mourners at the former party activist's funeral at the Church of St Mary The Virgin in Primrose Hill, north-west London, today (Friday, February 3).

Garraway, 56, wearing a black coat and pearl necklace, was joined by the couple’s children, Darcey and Billy,

Draper, a former Labour lobbyist-turned-psychologist, had married Garraway at the church in September 2005.

Good Morning Britain (GMB) presenter Garraway followed the coffin and greeted guests before her husband was laid to rest.

Draper fell ill during the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 and spent 13 months in hospital.

Kate Garraway arrives at the funeral service of her husband Derek Draper at St Mary the Virgin church in Primrose Hill (Image: PA)

He was admitted to hospital in December following a heart attack after lasting symptoms from coronavirus.

He died on January 3, aged 56.

Garraway announced her husband’s death on Instagram, with a post saying: “As some of you may know, he has been critically ill following a cardiac arrest in early December which, because of the damage inflicted by Covid in March 2020, led to further complications.”

Kate Garraway arrives for the funeral service of her husband Derek Draper (Image: PA)

Draper was a former researcher for Labour peer Peter Mandelson and was a key figure in the early years of New Labour in the 1990s.

Also at the service were former Labour MPs Ed Balls – who also now works as a GMB presenter – Lord Mandelson and Tristram Hunt.

Former prime minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair attend the funeral service of Derek Draper (Image: PA)

Shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband, Sir Tony’s wife Cherie Blair and former Number 10 director of communications Alastair Campbell, who lives in Hampstead.

Draper set up the Progress organisation with Liam Byrne, who went on to become a Labour MP, and was also an author.

Alastair Campbell attends the funeral service of Derek Draper at St Mary the Virgin church in Primrose Hill (Image: PA)

He wrote the book Blair’s Hundred Days, which chronicled some of Sir Tony’s first year as prime minister, along with Life Support: A Survival Guide For The Modern Soul.

Sir Elton, who arrived with his husband David Furnish, had previously invited Draper and Garraway to be guests of honour at his Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert at London’s O2 Arena last year.

Sir Elton John and David Furnish leaving the funeral service of Derek Draper (Image: PA)

Garraway told her Smooth Radio listeners in April 2023 that Sir Elton had been “so supportive” of her family since her husband fell ill.

Her fellow GMB stars Charlotte Hawkins, Ben Shephard, Richard Madeley, Alex Beresford, Rob Rinder, Susanna Reid, Sean Fletcher and Richard Arnold were also present.

Myleene Klass leaves following the funeral of Derek Draper (Image: PA)

Television presenter Fiona Phillips and This Morning editor Martin Frizell, who both worked on the former ITV morning programme GMTV, and former GMB star Piers Morgan were also in attendance.

Myleene Klass, who has previously stepped in to host Garraway’s radio show, along with journalist Robert Peston, talent manager Jonathan Shalit, radio presenter Roman Kemp, former Sky News political editor Adam Boulton and former political editor of GMTV and ex-Labour MP Gloria De Piero also headed into the church.

Robert Peston arrives for the funeral service of Derek Draper at St Mary the Virgin church in Primrose Hill (Image: PA)

Draper, a former director of lobbying firm GPC Market Access, was caught up in the lobbygate scandal in the 1990s and left politics.

He later founded and edited LabourList, a left-wing rival to online portals such as Conservative Home, but later stepped down from the site in 2009.

Reporting by PA