John Burgess has opened up on the final moments he spent with his former Wheel Of Fortune colleague Adriana Xenides in a rare interview following her sudden death in 2010.
The Aussie TV legend, 76, rushed to be by Adriana’s side after she was admitted to hospital and fell into a coma due to a ruptured intestine, after reportedly suffering several years of ill health.
Adriana passed away the age of 54 in Sydney on June 7 that year, and John revealed in an exclusive chat with news.com.au that they had been messaging shortly before, as it was his birthday on June 4.
The game show legend revealed he received a message from his friend in the early hours of the morning, which would often happen as she struggled to sleep well.
The pair had arranged to meet on the Monday, however he got a call that morning from a family member saying she was in a coma and wasn’t expected to survive beyond a few hours.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” he told the news outlet.
The star added: “We went straight up to the hospital and sat with her, she was in a coma. She just looked awful, it was heartbreaking… My wife said that when I leaned over and said, ‘Burgo is here, Adri’, she said her eyes opened briefly. But I didn’t see it, I was too busy bawling.
“It was just awful to see her. I hardly recognised her, it was awful. “I think it was about quarter past four in the afternoon we left the hospital, and she died half an hour later.”
The pair starred together on Wheel Of Fortune from 1984 to 1996 and became one of Australia’s most beloved on-screen duos.
Speaking of their friendship, Burgess told the news outlet they never argued once in 12 years working together and described his former colleague as “outgoing and giving”.
While Burgess later left the show, before returning years later, Adriana departed in 1999 – which Burgess claimed to the news outlet was the start of a “downward spiral” for the star.
Burgess has taken a step out of the limelight in recent years, but spoke out last year to give an update on his wife Gianna’s battle with liver cancer.
The much-loved host of Burgo’s Catch Phrase first asked for support and prayers for Gianna in December 2017.
She had previously battled breast cancer in 2014, but when she went for a routine check-up, doctors found an “aggressive” tumour in her liver, and she underwent “major surgery” shortly after Christmas.
Having kept relatively silent on her health battle ever since, Burgo finally updated fans on how she’s doing on her birthday.
“Good day today, celebrating my wife Gianna’s B’day, even more special seeing as we were told on the 9th of Dec she may not see March 2018,” he wrote. “Still recovering from op but getting stronger for the next step in a very long road which we are confident will lead to many more Birthdays.”