Kate Garraway issued an emotional message to viewers as she returned to hosting duties on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Thursday.

The presenter thanked viewers for the “incredible” love and support she has received following the death of her husband Derek Draper.

Ms Garraway returned to host the ITV breakfast show following an emotional appearance on the programme on Monday when she discussed how her children have been handling the loss of their father.

She said on Thursday that it was lovely, but “odd” to be back at the desk.

“The make-up girls had me in tears this morning just by saying hello,” Ms Garraway said at the beginning of the programme.

“Thank you to all of you at home as well, I know I mentioned it on Monday but you have been incredible.”

Co-host Ben Shephard joked he would give Ms Garraway a bit of “leeway” before saying she did her husband proud with the “extraordinary funeral”.

“You really did Derek proud, it was an extraordinary thing,” he said.

Ms Garraway, who admitted to feeling “wobbly”, said: “I definitely wanted to make it about Derek not about me.

“It was really lovely as well to feel so much love from everybody here.”

Draper’s funeral, held last Friday, was attended by figures including former prime minister Sir Tony Blair, musician Sir Elton John and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Oxford Mail: Kate Garraway arrives at the funeral service of her husband Derek Draper

The service was held at the Church of St Mary The Virgin in Primrose Hill, north-west London where the TV star and the former political lobbyist-turned-psychologist married in September 2005.

Draper fell seriously ill during the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 and spent 13 months in hospital before he was discharged.

He died on January 3 aged 56 after suffering long-lasting symptoms from coronavirus.

During an appearance on GMB on Monday, Ms Garraway praised the strength their children Darcey and Billy have shown since their father died.

She also addressed her decision to return to work, saying: “I think some people say: why are you going back to work? Well, everybody does have to, don’t they? Life has to start.”

She also joked: “I’m going to be looking forward to a blow dry.

“I’m going to be finding fake eyelashes. I’m going to be very much looking forward to applying fake tan.

“Don’t worry, I will be a little bit more respectable by Thursday. I’ll be doing a lot of homework between now and then because I feel like I’ve been in a very small bubble.

“So I’m going to look forward really to coming into the world and sharing what’s going on for everybody else and connecting with everybody again.

“So, thank you for having me back, and have a little bit of patience. I might be a bit rusty … There is a new king, isn’t there? Have I caught up with that?”