"My pals Kate and Derek had a crazy love affair'

KATE Garraway and Derek Draper had a "crazy love affair", reveals the star who helped them get together.

- Tony Whitfield

GB News presenter Gloria De Piero played Cupid by introducing Kate to her old friend Derek, and sparking their enduring romance.

Gloria was political editor while Kate was co-host on GMTV when she persuaded Kate to meet the "outrageously funny" friend she knew from her early politics days.

Gloria "didn't think it would go anywhere", but added: "Before I knew it, I was going to their wedding." But after 19 years of marriage Derek died aged 56 on Friday following a four-year battle with long Covid and a heart attack before Christmas.

In an emotional social media post, Good Morning Britain host Kate, also 56, revealed: "Derek was surrounded by his family in his final days and I was by his side holding his hand throughout the last long hours and when he passed."

Gloria was at GMTV from 2003 until 2010, when she became the Labour MP for Ashfield, stepping down at the 2019 election.