Kate Garraway's bittersweet birthday without Derek as ITV co-stars support her

Kate Garraway has celebrated her first birthday without her late husband Derek Draper, marking a poignant moment for the Good Morning Britain presenter. The ITV star turned 57 on Saturday (4th May), her first birthday since the passing of her beloved husband and father to their two children.

Derek, a former political lobbyist, tragically passed away at the age of 56 earlier this year after a nearly four-year-long battle with Covid-19. Kate expressed her gratitude to those who have generously supported her family during this difficult time.

Five months on from Derek's passing, Kate admitted to experiencing bittersweet emotions as she navigated her first birthday without her partner, confessing to fans that she was tempted to "cry all day".

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Kate Garraway shared her feelings about celebrating her birthday for the first time since her husband Derek's passing. The mother of two was seen surrounded by her friends and relatives as they showered her with presents.

Alongside the video, she captioned, "Well yesterday was another one of those sad 1st's - my first birthday since Derek's passing. Woke up feeling so sad and thought well I can either cry all day or celebrate life as he did so well. And thanks to wonderful friends it worked! See you on @gmb tomorrow from 6 - happy bank holiday weekend everyone! ", reports the Mirror.

Kate celebrated her 57th birthday amidst love and heartfelt wishes from her fans online and her colleagues at Smooth Radio, where she commemorated a decade of service with a pre-birthday studio celebration earlier in the week. Her former co-anchor on Good Morning Britain and current This Morning presenter, Ben Shephard, paid tribute to Kate over the weekend, assuring her of how cherished she is on her day.

Social media radiated affection for the British journalist as fans and friends posted warm messages on her special day. Notably, her previous co-host Benwho transitioned from ITV's morning show to This Morning in Februaryhonoured her birthday with an amusing backstage snapshot from their days together at GMB.

The sweet picture showed Kate decked out in hair rollers and a black gown, clearly preparing for the show. Her co-host jokingly captioned it: "Not another birthday [Kate]."

Susanna Reid (53), who currently presents alongside Kate, also wished her pal a happy birthday. She shared an image of the pair, captioning it: "Happy birthday to my gorgeous friend [Kate]."

Finishing off her message, she included a tongue-in-cheek reference to Star Wars Day - observed every year on May 4 - with the hashtag #maythe4thbewithyou.

But Susanna Reid wasn't the only member of the Good Morning Britain team to send birthday well wishes to Kate. Weather presenter Laura Tobin, 42, hopped onto social platform X, previously known as Twitter, to send her birthday regards: "Happy Birthday [Kate]. So happy I could share a drink with you earlier this week and toast to your Variety Club Award #Proud."

This year marks a particularly heartfelt birthday for Kate, as it's her first without her beloved husband Derek Draper, who tragically died at age 56 in January. Derek had been in the public spotlight due to his health battles, after spending more than a year in hospital amidst the coronavirus >Covid pandemic.