The fiancé of a “gentle giant” who died in a car crash in Lower Kingswood earlier this month says neighbours and friends surrounding her is helping her be strong for her 19-month-old daughter.

Kostas Giannakakis, 34, died after crashing his silver Volkswagen Passat at the roundabout of Brighton Road and Babylon Lane in Lower Kingswood in the early hours of Sunday, June 12.

From June: Man from south-west London dies in car crash in Babylon Lane, Lower Kingswood

The kind-hearted gym fanatic leaves behind his daughter Christine and his partner of six years and fiancé Celeste Swart, 34, and parents Nico and Charmaine, and brothers Nico and Dillon.

He and his family were from Richards Bay in South Africa.

From Friday: Inquest opened into Kostas Giannakakis who died in car crash in Babylon Lane, Lower Kingswood

Mr Giannakakis was on his way home from a work event in Brighton.

They met while watching South Africa play rugby at The Slug in Hartfield Road, Wimbledon, six years ago.

She remembers being embarrassed as her friend tried to introduce her to men in the pub, but the couple’s romance blossomed.

Surrey Comet:

The couple were engaged in January 2014, and she became pregnant with their daughter Christine the following month. They had not yet set a wedding date when Mr Giannakakis died.

Ms Swart remembers the Sunday morning she was told of her fiancé’s death by a policeman.

She said: “I came down and saw the policeman in dark clothes through the door. He said something had happened.

“He asked if Kostas lived here, and I said, ‘Yes’.

“He said, ‘There has been an accident. I’m afraid he has died’.

“I just started shaking and fell to the ground.

“My baby was crying upstairs so I had to go and fetch her. Now I have to be strong for her.”

Surrey Comet:

A table in the family’s house in Windermere Avenue, Morden, is over brimming with family photographs and flowers delivered to the mother and daughter by friends and neighbours.

Ms Swart said she has been “amazed” by the outpouring of support.

She said: “All of our friends and neighbours have been here offering condolences, giving me flowers and saying if I needed anything they were here for me. It’s amazing.

“One neighbour came in and said he used to call him ‘the gentle giant’.

“He had such a big heart and was so friendly to everyone.

“I think he would have been completely taken aback by all this generosity.”

Ms Swart said that the proud father had grown increasingly attached to his daughter – especially over the last nine months – and that he described her as “his life”.

Surrey Comet:

She described how Christine would drink juice from Mr Giannakakis’ glass when he was eating dinner – not from her own cup, or from her mother’s glass – kiss her father goodnight through the balustrade of her cot, and then wake him in the morning.

Ms Swart recalled: “Every morning I would hear, ‘Hello, baby girl. How are you?’

“I think she looks more like him than me, so luckily he has left me a bit of himself.

“I’m sad that she isn’t going to get to know him. But she will be here to remind me of him every day.

“I think she is going to be the one to make us smile.”

Surrey Comet:

Although Christine will grow up without her father, Ms Swart has vowed to fill the family’s home with pictures of Mr Giannakakis to let the toddler know who her father was.

Ms Swart explained: “When you lose someone memories are all you have left.

“So it’s important to take photos, make videos, and tell people what you feel and to do things with them. “These are the things that will remain from the person.”

Surrey Comet:
The roundabout at the junction of Babylon Lane and Brighton Road in Lower Kingswood

Mr Giannakakis’ funeral will be held at Randalls Park Crematorium in Randalls Park Road, Leatherhead, on Tuesday, June 28. Following his cremation his ashes will be scattered in Richards Bay in South Africa.

Woking Coroner's Court confirmed that an inquest had been opened into Mr Giannakakis' death.

Surrey Police are appealing for witnesses as part of their enquiries into the crash, which happened sometime between 4am and 5am on Sunday, June 12.

To offer information, call Surrey Police on 101, quoting incident reference P16132483.