A CLOSE friend of Anne Darwin said he just wants to give her a "big hug".
Bill Rodriguez, 75, lived next door to the Darwins at The Cliff, in Seaton Carew, for five years.
Bill and his late wife Margaret comforted Mrs Darwin after John's presumed drowning in 2002.
Following the news that John's wife Anne claimed he had been living in the family home while everyone presumed him missing, Mr Rodriguez said that he feels sympathy for Anne.
He said: "If I could see her now I would give her a big hug. She must have been through hell."
Mr Rodriguez lived next door to the Darwins and became friends with them both.
The taxi driver said: "My wife and Anne were good friends and used to see each other a lot. They must have talked about John. I used to go round and see Anne and have coffee."
Mr Rodriguez, who now lives in the Owton Manor area, moved to The Cliff in 1981 when he became the manager of the Staincliffe Hotel.
He said: "I met Anne soon after they moved in at the end of 2000 and we were friends. The last time I saw her was in August.
"I always thought she was a beautiful person in heart and soul."
Mr Rodriguez said that although he looked round the house when the Darwins first bought the property he did not go into the bedsit area any time after that.
He added: "She must have been on tenterhooks the whole time and I am very shocked that all this has come out."
