'a beautiful soul'
David Walliams cries as he reveals how worried he was for good pal Dale Winton before his death and said he was haunted by his mum’s suicide
DAVID Walliams cried today as he revealed how worried he was for his close friend Dale Winton before his death.
The Supermarket Sweep presenter passed away yesterday at the age of 62, and David was one of the first people to pay tribute to him on social media last night.
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And on today's BBC Radio 4 show Front Row, David spoke movingly about his friendship with Dale and said how he had been concerned about him before his death.
He said: "He absolutely lived for showbusiness.
"I was always worried for him, inevitably it [fame] does go away.
"You have your moment in the sun, you're still working but you're not quite where you were."
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The Britain's Got Talent judge explained how Dale was very much the same person off-screen as he was on-screen.
He said: "People on TV there's often a bit of a mask, people show a certain side of them, but with Dale the two were as close as they could be."
David then spoke about Dale's personal life and how he had always been affected by the death of his beloved mother Sheree, who took her own life just days after his 21st birthday.
He explained: "I just wish he was able to find happiness himself, but I think he was so devastated by what happened to his mother when he was so young, he found it hard.
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Dale Winton had plenty of catch phrases on Supermarket Sweep
"He absolutely worshipped her, he found her, that sort of thing you never really get over.
"The most awful thing...he used to tell me he had this terrible guilt as his mum had asked him if he was gay and he said no and he felt this terrible guilt that he hadn't told her the truth."
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His voice cracking, David added: "He was a really beautiful soul and I'm going to miss him terribly.
"I'm sure everyone will as well."
While David was desperately sad about Dale's passing, he was able to remember the good times he had with his friend.
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Take a look at Dale Winton's best bits following his sad death aged 62
He said: "He was one of the funniest people I have ever met, funny intentionally and unintentionally.
"He was absolutely outrageous and had such a camp sense of humour, which is probably why I was drawn to him.
"He was full of laughter and love but there was this dichotomy in him.
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"He would get close with friends but he had a very small circle of friends.
"We had some of the best nights out, he was like a cross between a teddy bear and an angel."
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