Ex-cricket star Duncan Pauline breaks silence after wife, 46, dies in Waitrose store

The 46-year-old wife of former cricket star Duncan Pauline has died following a trip to the supermarket.

The ex all-rounder has been left "absolutely devastated" after his wife Wiyada lost her life during a trip to get get groceries earlier this week. Emergency crews rushed to the Waitrose in Esher, Surrey, at around 6pm on Wednesday after receiving calls of a "concern for safety" at the store.

Both the high street in the town and the store itself were closed as medics tried to save her life, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Pauline, 64, spoke of his anguish after announcing the passing of his partner, who was looking forward to retiring to her home country of Thailand in the months ahead.

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"She went out to Waitrose at about 5.15pm and then I got a call from one of her friends," he told The Sun. "I went up there expecting she'd had a knock on the head but not that she was dead. When I got there the police told me she had passed away.

"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.

"She wanted to go back home to Thailand. We even bought a house in Thailand for our retirement - the sad thing is she won't get to do that now."

At the time of the incident, police issued a statement to those in the area, saying: "We are currently on scene following a call to a concern for safety in Esher shortly after 6pm this evening (August 20). Waitrose on the high street has been closed, and there is a significant emergency services presence in the area as we deal with this incident."

A Waitrose spokesperson told theBBC: "Our thoughts are with our customer's family and loved ones." They said staff "acted quickly" and offered support while the emergency teams arrived. "We're now making sure everyone is supported," the spokesperson added.

Many people took to social media to express their sadness at what had happened. One person on Facebook wrote: "That’s awful and so young too. Thoughts to her family." Another person also wrote: "My thoughts go out to her family and friends."

A spokesperson for Surrey Police said: "Officers were called to Waitrose on Esher High Street shortly after 6pm yesterday evening (August 20) by the South East Coast Ambulance Service, who were responding to a medical emergency at the location.

"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."