Kate garraway in 'shock' as she's told she still has to pay derek draper's debts

KATE GARRAWAY HAS BEEN LEFT 'SHOCKED' AS SHE'S BEEN TOLD THAT SHE STILL HAS TO PAY HER LATE HUSBAND DEREK DRAPER'S DEBTS, WHICH AMOUNT TO NEARLY £140,000 23:00, 21 May

2025 Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway has found herself "shocked" to discover she's still deeply in debt following an HMRC update indicating nearly £140,000 in

loan debts from her late husband's firm as well as a sizable tax bill of £288,000. Documents released this week have drawn attention to the ongoing debts of Derek's company Astra

Aspera, with accounts showing significant sums that Kate is facing pressure to settle. Although the business has received £37,000 in royalties, there's still an outstanding loan of

£139,849 and a hefty tax demand from HMRC amounting to £288,000. With no further assets in the company and the pursuit of these monies by HMRC continuing, it's understood that Kate

currently does not have the funds to clear the debts. Efforts have been made by Kate to address the financial situation, with insiders emphasising that these debts arose from Derek's

enterprise amid the challenges of his care and lost income, reports the Mirror. Derek passed away in January 2024 at 56 years old after struggling with long-term effects of Covid. In

response, a representative for Kate declared: "'Kate has met all that the liquidators of Derek's company have asked for and more over the past four years. "She

doesn't recognise these figures and is shocked that's it's being presented in this way by them. Caring for Derek and supporting her family when Derek could no longer run his

own businesses has taken a huge financial toll on her but she's determined to put things right. "She is in constant contact with HMRC to make sure she honours what's required

from Derek's now defunct company." Kate hasn't hidden the financial impact of caring for Derek, being candid about her struggles along the way. Astra Aspera Ltd, which Derek

established in 2021, was liquidated in March 2022, owing £716,822 to HMRC and £196,548 to four other creditors. Since then, Kate has repaid some of the money but hasn't been able to

settle all the debts. Before her husband's death, Kate revealed in the ITV documentary, Kate Garraway: Derek's Story: "Derek's care costs more than my salary from ITV and

that is before you pay for a mortgage, before you pay any household bills, before you pay for anything for the kids, so we are at a crunch point. "I am in debt. I can't earn

enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek's care and I can't even use the money I do have to support Derek's recovery, because it's going on the basics

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Garraway opened up during an episode of ITV's Lorraine, sharing a poignant memory with viewers of Derek when they were preparing for their marriage. She told the audience that they

visited John Lewis to compile their wedding list. It was then the question of what surname to use arose and "Derek burst into tears," Kate disclosed. Article continues below

"He was so happy. He was sobbing away, saying 'I can't believe you'd do that for me, it's so wonderful'. I was like, 'I'd absolutely love to, if

you're prepared to marry me, then of course I'll take your name.'" Despite this touching memory, Kate ultimately did not go through with changing her surname.