I've been lucky says brave Steve Evans in last interview

The father of two from Wolverhampton has lived with incurable stomach cancer for two years and his remarkable sense of humour and the sense of joy he has taken from reaching out to the world on the internet has won him thousands of admirers from all over the world.

More than 25,000 people follow the 52-year-old on Twitter while listeners to Richard Bacon's Radio Five Live show and viewers of the BBC's Breakfast programme have taken him to their hearts.

In his final interview about his illness Steve paid tribute to his wife Septina.

He said: "I'm lucky, very lucky, purely because of the existence of a woman called Septina. She's the other half of me."

The former building surveyor spent his career with Wolverhampton City Council but is also a magician and has compered stand-up comedy at Wolverhampton Civic.

In the past few days, as he has been feeling weak, Steve's tweets have been dictated to an old school friend, John Price, from Compton, who has been helping out whenever he can.

On Sunday many followers began to say goodbye as Steve revealed he was reaching the end of what he calls his 'journey'.

Yesterday afternoon his final broadcast with Richard Bacon was aired, during which he paid tribute to his wife Septina.

Mr Bacon said that Steve had first gone on the programme last April and since then the pair had become friends.

He said: "The reaction was so astonishing that we thought we should make him part of the programme.

"He wrote some tweets over the weekend that were upsetting about how weak he's become.

"It's the third time I've been to see him.

"We had a chat and he was very weak when I got there. But he said let's record an interview."

From his bed, Steve said: "There's still a little bit of whispering going on, my friend, but I want everyone to know what it's like.

"It's a happy place but it's a place, my friend, where they come in, they leave but it's not the same way, I'm afraid.

"It's a very, very arduous time. What is happening now is my body is closing down."

Steve had only believed he would make it to April 2013 but was overjoyed to have spent Christmas with his wife Septina and their daughters Megan, 25, and Lauren, 20, at home in Old Fallings Lane.

A former building surveyor with Wolverhampton City Council, he is also a magician with the Magic Circle and is well known for compering stand-up comedy at the Wolverhampton Civic Halls.

Steve is so well liked by the staff and performers at the Civic that his name was added to a wall of fame alongside the likes of Noddy Holder.

Praising his wife during the interview Steve added: "I'm lucky, very lucky, purely because of the existence of a woman called Septina. She's the other half of me.

"I've got my eyes closed and I'm trying as hard as I possibly can to manifest the words. They are so difficult to get out, purely because the help you receive comes in the form of a medication package that's given daily. I have a friend by the side of me, John Price.

"He is my clearest friend, one of my oldest, dearest friends. The different ways they have fitted into my life has been quite amazing. Without him I wouldn't have survived."

But with the customary humour he has displayed, Steve joked his pal's work on the website left a lot to be desired: "He's appalling.

"His grammar's terrible and he keeps trying to insert jokes that aren't funny. I am too weak to write tweets now," Steve said. "The brain is still fine. Everything is functioning well enough.

"But I've been lucky enough to experience this microcosm of the journey in a long way and I'm finding everything difficult now.

"Love is all around and I am so blessed that I have had so much around me."