Kate Garraway apologised on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain after she publicly reached out to Haringey Council via social media on Tuesday night, claiming her late husband Derek Draper has been receiving ‘unsettling post making demands’
Kate Garraway apologised on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain after she publicly reached out to Haringey Council via social media on Tuesday night.
The Good Morning Britain presenter, 56, took to Twitter (X) on Tuesday night to publicly message to Haringey Council after struggling for 10 days in her attempt to speak to someone regarding her husband Derek Draper’s death.
In her message to the council, visible to her 524,700 followers, Kate explained how she had been on hold for almost 50 minutes trying to get through to the correct department in order to discuss “unsettling post making demands” which Derek can “obviously not respond to” following his death at the start of the year.
She tweeted: “@haringeycouncil -please help – have been trying for ten days solid to speak to someone about my husband passing away – following unsettling post making demands which obviously he can’t respond to. I just cannot get through. Again today nearly 50 mins wait & before I could ….
Kate Garraway apologised on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain after she publicly reached out to Haringey Council via social media on Tuesday night ( Image: ITV)
Kate, who recently revealed she has debts of over £800,000 due to the financial cost of Derek’s care, continued in an additional tweet: “@haringeycouncil … the man put me straight back to the beginning – another 20 mins and then it timed out as shuts at 5pm. Is there a bereavement service or SOMETHING!!!!”
On Thursday’s Good Morning Britain, Kate explained her reasons behind publicly tweeting, saying: “Sorry about putting that on Twitter!”, also adding: “It was born out of frustration, I don’t like putting things onto Twitter!”
After co-host, Ed Balls, brought up her recent tweet, Kate said: “This is not an attack on Haringey Council, it was born out of utter frustration. I don’t like putting things onto Twitter but many good people, including Martin Lewis, say that often the people who monitor social media are also more staffed than the people who have to answer phones.
“It’s not really sending the post, as you understand, there will be a period where the algorithm doesn’t work out, when someone’s passed away. It’s just something that’s been going on for about three or four years, actually.
“The inability to convey to people that this is to do with many things but this is particularly to do with posts, bills, demands, threatens of bailiffs still going to Derek, even though I’ve been paying those things but I have a different name on some accounts and not being able to get through to anyone to say: ‘This person has passed away.’
“I’m sure I’m not alone in that. I will say it’s a common experience and very frustrating because you want to be able to sort things out as quickly as possible. Lots of companies and areas do have specific bereavement people who take that on for you and help you to navigate through, but it’s just that others don’t and you’re having the same conversation again and again.
“Sorry about putting that on Twitter but Haringey Council have got in touch and asked me to DM them directly with my details and hopefully it will get resolved! But then it shouldn’t be because you’re on the telly and you Tweet something that these things happen, should it? Because I’m sure there’s many people who are railing against it without that. So we will see!” to which Ed revealed GMB have also reached out officially but they’re waiting for a response.
