Nick Cannon hails Mariah Carey as his 'hero'

Nick Cannon paid a public tribute to his wife Mariah Carey at the BET Honours over the weekend (14-15Jan12), calling her his "hero" for looking after him during his recent health scare.

The rapper/actor suffered kidney failure during a winter vacation in Aspen, Colorado earlier this month (Jan12) and later underwent surgery at a Los Angeles hospital before he was discharged to continue his recovery at home.

Nick Cannon made his comeback by appearing at the glitzy awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Saturday night (14Jan12) to present his wife with a prize, and he used his speech to tell the audience about her dedication while he was sick.

He said, "When times are hard, you guys don't see her at 3 o'clock in the morning, getting up in the middle of the night, fixing me soup when my kidneys ain't acting right. Mariah Carey does that...

"It is truly, truly a blessing to be here tonight, and I am humbled and in awe of everyone's presence, but mostly my hero right there. What most people don't get the opportunity to experience is the true woman; the virtuous person who is my angel."

A teary-eyed Mariah Carey returned the praise when she took to the stage, and hailed his recovery as "incredible", telling the crowd, "To my incredible husband who (has been) out of the hospital two days - look at him all strong and healthy and big and too buff for the tux - it's incredible."