It’s been almost a year to the day since Ruda Landman and Derek Watts “clicked” on the set on the TV actuality programme Carte Blanche 35 years ago.

While Ruda left the show two decades later, she maintained a firm friendship and close bond with her co-anchor, who tragically died this week.

On Tuesday, 22 August, Derek lost his battle with skin and lung cancer. He was 72 years old.

 

RUDA LANDMAN PAYS TRIBUTE TO DEREK WATTS
A day after his death, Derek Watts’s “TV wife,” Ruda Landman, spoke out about their close relationship.

Ruda met Derek Watts for the first time on the set of Carte Blanche in 1988. The dynamic duo – who were household names and faces on South African television – became firm friends.

While Ruda left the show in 2007 to pursue other ventures, she kept in contact with her professional partner.

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She told Hot 102.7 FM after his passing: “I can’t believe it. He was in my life for half of it – more than 35 years”.

derek watts, ruda landman, carte blanche