Renée Zellweger offers heartfelt words to Kate Garraway in emotional on-air interview

Kate Garraway's husband, Derek, passed away at the age of 56

The presenter opened up about the recent loss of her husband, Derek Draper, while interviewing the Oscar-winning actress on her upcoming film, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.

The conversation took a deeply personal turn when Kate, 57, spoke about the parallels between the film and her own life.  

The highly anticipated romcom follows Bridget as a widowed single mother navigating love and life after loss, a storyline that resonated deeply with Kate.

She described her own experience of “losing her husband, becoming a single mum, and raising two kids on her own.” 

Derek passed away in January last year at the age of 56 after a long battle with complications from Covid-19.  

During their discussion, Kate asked Renée how she prepares for emotionally intense roles and whether she draws from personal experiences of grief.

Before answering the question, Renée paused to acknowledge the depth of Kate’s loss.  

"First of all, I am sorry. I am really sorry," she said.

"That's very fresh, and sad, so it's probably still very raw for you. You feel like your cells change, and it's really hard to explain that to somebody that hasn't been through it… So certainly, I am familiar with that."  

The actress went on to explain how she approached Bridget’s new chapter, and the character’s resilience despite life’s unexpected challenges. 

"With respect to Bridget, it was sort of an exploration of what that might look like for her. 

“She's never deterred or defeated, she's always looking forward and finding a way, even though things don't always work out according to plan."  

Kate has spoken openly about the pain of her loss, particularly around milestone moments like Christmas. 

In December, she fought back tears on Good Morning Britain as she spoke about spending the holiday season without Derek for the first time. 

She shared how fellow presenter Andi Peters had warned her that Christmas could be the most difficult time for grieving families.  

"It's our first Christmas without him," she said at the time. "You do feel grief, that's the point - you have memories of previous years. But we're lucky enough to have had him over the four or five years."  

The deeply personal moment between Kate and Renée serves as a reminder of the universal nature of grief and the strength needed to move on after loss.

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy will be released in cinemas across Ireland on February 14th.

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