Nick Cannon paid a touching tribute to his "hero" of a wife at the 2012 BET Honours, which took place over the weekend on January 14. 

He made his first public appearance since suffering from kidney failure, for which he was hospitalised, at the star-studded ceremony in Washington D.C. and took the stage to present spouse Mariah Carey with a prize and told the audience:

"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... To know you guys are honoring her tonight, I have to continue to honor her every day."

"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."

Carey joined her husband in front of the celebrity gathering and added, "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."

Watch her music video for 'When Christmas Comes' below: