A former cricket player whose wife died suddenly in Waitrose has paid tribute to his ‘loving’ partner.
Duncan Pauline, 64, said he and his wife, Wiyada, had been planning on retiring to her home country of Thailand before she suddenly collapsed and died in the supermarket in Ether High Street, Surrey, on Wednesday.
The former Surrey County Cricket Club star said they had bought their forever home in Southeast Asia, but he will now have to travel there alone to tragically spread her ashes.
Wiyada, whose nickname was ‘Lek’ – which translates to small in Thai – had been buying groceries in the upmarket store at around 6pm when she suddenly collapsed and died in front of horrified shoppers.
Paramedics and police rushed to help after receiving reports of ‘concern’ over Wiyada’s condition after the fall, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The supermarket and surrounding high street were shut while emergency crews, including the air ambulance, responded. The store has since reopened.
Mr Pauline said he received a call from one of her friends to say his wife of 22 years had fallen, which he expected would have been no more than a ‘knock on the head’.
But the news of her death, around 45 minutes after she had left their house, has left him ‘absolutely devastated’.
Wiyada (pictured) whose nickname was ‘Lek’ – which translates to small in Thai – had been buying groceries in the upmarket store at around 6pm when she suddenly collapsed and died in front of horrified shoppers
Former Surrey County Cricket Club star Duncan Pauline (pictured) said he and Wiyada had bought their forever home in Southeast Asia, but he will now have to travel there alone to tragically spread her ashes
Paramedics and police rushed to Waitrose in Ether High Street, Surrey (pictured), after receiving reports of ‘concern’ over Wiyada’s condition after the fall, but she was pronounced dead at the scene
He told The Sun: ‘She had a cloth over her head and she looked very peaceful when they pulled the cloth off her head.
‘She was only 46, it’s a shock that she could go so young. We’ve been married for 22 years and we were due to retire in a couple of years.’
Mr Pauline, who now coaches at Esher Cricket Club, says it ‘won’t be easy’ to take his Buddhist wife’s ashes to her family in Thailand.
He added: ‘I was the one who should have died, not her. I’m a lot older than her and I smoke and drink. I didn’t even think about her going first.’
Wiyada’s cause of death has not yet been confirmed by Mr Pauline or the authorities.
A Surrey Police spokesman said after the incident: ‘Officers were called to Waitrose on Esher High Street shortly after 6pm on Wednesday, 20 August by the South East Coast Ambulance Service, who were responding to a medical emergency at the location.
Mr Pauline, who now coaches at Esher Cricket Club, says it ‘won’t be easy’ to take his Buddhist wife’s ashes to her family in Thailand
‘Despite the best efforts of paramedics, a woman in her 40s died at the scene. Her next of kin have been informed.
‘There was a significant emergency services presence in the area, including police, South East Coast Ambulance Service, and the Air Ambulance Charity Kent, Surrey, Sussex.
‘Waitrose was closed to allow emergency services to carry out their work, but has since reopened.’
A Waitrose spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘Our thoughts are with our customer’s family and loved ones.Our Partners acted quickly and offered support while the emergency teams arrived. We’re now making sure everyone is supported.’
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
