THE INDELIBLE MARK

Adrienne Watkins welcomes YOU into her and Mark Pilgrim’s home to share how she’s dealing with the death of her famous fiancé

- LESEGO SEOKWANG

SHE scanned the crowd, desperately searching for him. More than anything, Adrienne Watkins wanted to look into Mark Pilgrim’s eyes and let him know just how much she adored him. 

In every room in which they were together, in any social situation, knowing he was there and seeing his cheeky smile always put her at ease. 

But this time she couldn’t find him. Then, with a lurch in her stomach it dawned on her: he wasn’t there. She was all alone in a crowd full of mourners who’d come to pay their final respects at the memorial of the man she was sup­ posed to marry. 

It’s this gaping sense of absence that Adrienne (43) has found the hardest thing to deal with in the weeks since the Hot 102.7FM DJ lost his battle with stage 4 lung cancer. 

“There are moments where you’re in a normal setting and you’re looking for your person and you just can’t find them,” she tells YOU. 

Here, in their beautiful Sandton home, is where she feels his presence most vividly. A remembrance counter lined with orchids, candles and a photo of Mark, who died at the age of 53, along with other sentimental ornaments greets us as we enter the house. 

For almost three years Mark was her best friend, Adrienne tells us, and now it feels like her anchor has been ripped away from her. 

“The trauma only hit me after the funeral. The realisation was really hard,” she says as she struggles to hold back her tears. 

What makes it so tough is the know­ ledge that Mark so desperately wanted to live. 

Even on his deathbed, he refused to give up, she says. Their last conversation was about how he was determined to keep fighting.