WE WERE WITH HIM

The family of Carte Blanche legend Derek Watts tell YOU about his final hours and the void he leaves in his wake

- NOKUTHULA ZWANE-EJIKE & SIPHOKAZI ZAMA

SHE wasn't ready to say goodbye. For 34 years hed been her soulmate, her anchor, her best friend. They'd dreamt of growing old together but now he was asking her to do something that felt impossible.

After months spent fighting a brave battle against cancer and sepsis, Derek Watts told his wife, Belinda, it was time - his family had to let him go.

"He didn't want to suffer anymore," Belinda tells YOU. "He chose his time to go. He told us how much we meant to him, how much he loved us. We'd been everything in his life and he was ready to go and be with God."

It was devastating but she and their two children, Kirsten (30) and Tyrone (32), knew they had to be strong during the precious final hours they spent beside the hospital bed of the much-loved Carte Blanche presenter.

"We permitted him to go and we were with him holding his hand as he drew his last breath, as dramatic as that sounds" Belinda says.

She's grateful they had this time with Derek (74) and the chance to say everything that needed to be said. And it's the reason why just four days after his death, she and her kids sound so contained as they speak to us.

They're gathered at their home in Bryanston, Johannesburg, where there are so many memories. Though the grief is still raw, it's a comfort to be able to speak about him and they want people to know that Derek the family man was just as extraordinary as the guy that everyone got to know on TV.

"He was the most wonderful husband," Belinda says. "I said to him a few days ago, 'Thank you for choosing me', because I had quite a complicated childhood and I think that when he came along, he was able to provide me with just intense security, love and respect."

BELINDA and Derek met in the pet-food section of Pick n Pay in Benmore, Sandton.