Craig Cash is forced to walk away from Caroline Aherne interview as he remembers heartbreaking memory

As far as comedy duos go, Craig Cash and Caroline Aherne were the epitome of hilarity for Brits.

The iconic pair made us laugh until we cried with The Royle Family and just hearing their voices while watching Gogglebox made us well up with nostalgia when watching the Channel 4 show.

The comedy legend passed away from lung cancer in 2016 at the age of 52, leaving her co-star and close pal Craig - as well as the entire nation - absolutely devastated.

The BBC honoured her life and work over the festive period this year with a documentary titled Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy, where her lifelong friends shared their special memories with her.

Steve Coogan and John Thompson shared anecdotes about their late pal and, of course, Craig had a host of stories to share about their friendship, which first began when they worked on Manchester radio station KFM in the early 1990s.

But he was forced to walk away from one part of his interview when he recalled a heartbreaking memory of Caroline.

The 63-year-old actor opened up about a tragic phone call he'd shared with his beloved co-star - where she'd explained that she was dying.

BBC

He told viewers: "I mean, I was just in denial. I just kept saying 'no', just kept repeating 'no' for some.., you know.

"But there's a lot to be said for denial. And she was like 'we had some laughs though, didn't we Cashy'."

Overcome by emotion, the tears started flowing for Craig and he stood up to take a moment away from the cameras while apologising to the crew.

And people who tuned in to Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy were extremely moved by the comedian's raw emotion and praised him on social media for his strength.

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One said: "Craig Cash breaking down talking about Caroline Aherne is heartbreaking. What a massive loss to the world of comedy her passing was."

Another wrote: "What a genius Caroline Aherne was and what a lovely man Craig Cash is. Was in absolute bits for the end of that."

A third added: "The Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy BBC programme was a beautiful tribute to such a talented woman.

"Absolutely heartbreaking to watch Craig Cash literally clutching his chest with emotion when reminiscing."

While a fourth wrote: "Craig Cash‘s affection for her was very evident. I don’t think anybody who knew her is truly over her loss."

Rest in peace, Caroline.