Swayze's widow still texts him

Lisa Niemi - who admits she has struggled to come to terms with life without Patrick Swayze who died of cancer aged 57 last September - has continued her tradition of texting him before boarding a flight.

She told People magazine: "I just put what I always did, 'I love you'. And then I cry for a little bit to myself.

"It didn't come back. So either somewhere out there he received it, or someone's going, 'Somebody loves me!' And you know what? I figured it was a win-win situation."

Niemi - who was married to the Dirty Dancing star for 34 years - has also spoken about her difficult decision to bring Patrick home to die and how she struggled not to "freak out".

"It was tough. It was just my sense of that's what he might have wanted.

"I like to think he knew I was there. I was always afraid I'd freak out. To have your soulmate leave you, it was definitely overwhelming, but at the same time I knew he was in a better place because he had used every ounce of that body."

favourite horse

It was also a struggle for Niemi to stay positive after the death of her husband's favourite horse - a white stallion named Kuhaylan Roh - this summer.

"I just have to think, Patrick must have needed his horse."

Despite her grief, the 54-year-old - who is planning to appear on the Stand Up To Cancer TV benefit to help generate funds for research towards a cure - is slowly adjusting to life without her husband.

"I know he wanted me to be OK. And I am stronger now. The fact that I've had some good days definitely gives me hope that I can have more."