Did gag take lead from broken-hearted? (7)

I believe the answer is:

retched

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'did' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both related to bodily activities as well as being past participle verbs.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'gag take lead from broken-hearted?' is the wordplay.
'gag' becomes 'fret' (synonyms).
'take lead from' means to remove the first letter.
'broken-hearted?' becomes 'ched' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'fret' with its initial letter removed is 'ret'.
'ret'+'ched'='RETCHED'

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.