SHE'S LOST HER ROCK

Sandra Bullock finally found the love of her life but she's been left heartbroken after her beloved partner lost his battle with a cruel disease

- NICI DE WET

SHE called him the love of her life, her rock, the best person to raise a family with. He was her anchor, the guy who kept things real for her in an often superficial world - and she was there for him too when he needed her most.

To most people outside Sandra Bullock's immediate circle, the news of her beloved partner Bryan Randall's death came as a shock. No one had known he was ill, let alone that he'd been battling a debilitating disease for three years.

And that's the way the 57-year-old acclaimed photographer wanted it, his family say. "Bryan chose early to keep his journey with ALS private and those of us who cared for him did our best to honour his request," a statement reads.

ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a type of motor neurone disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is harrowing: sufferers lose mobility as their muscles waste away and also lose the ability to speak, eat and even breathe. Most die from respiratory failure within three to five years of diagnosis - and for loved ones, witnessing the decline can be heartbreaking.

Sandra (59) has yet to speak out after Bryan's passing but there's been an outpouring of love and support for her from colleagues, fans, friends and family as well as praise for how she cared for him.

"ALS is a cruel disease but there's some comfort in knowing Bryan had the best of caretakers in my amazing sister and the band of nurses she assembled who helped her look after him in their home," Sandra's sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado, said on social media.

Sandra is grieving, a friend says. The couple had their ups and downs but he made her happier than anyone else had.

"He was the guy who would always get the door or get her jacket and help put it on, a source says. "She felt loved and appreciated all the time with him."