Thredbo landslide survivor Stuart Diver is mourning the loss of his wife Rosanna , who died at the weekend after a long battle with breast cancer . Diver first came to prominence as a result of his remarkable survival when he was pulled out of the rubble on August 2 1997 , some 65 hours after a landslide wrought havoc across Thredbo . The disaster killed his then wife Sally and 17 others . Stuart Diver and Rosanna Cossettini married on April 13 , 2002 in a ceremony in the Snowy Mountains , she was 27 and he was 32 . Rosanna was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer just three weeks after their nuptials but went into remission . Sadly , the cancer had returned by July , 2013 . She passed away on Saturday aged 40 . A short statement has been issued on behalf of the Diver family . It simply reads : 'Stuart Diver and his extended family have requested privacy and respect for their loss at this time . ' Scroll down for video . Thredbo landslide survivor Stuart Diver is mourning the loss of his wife Rosanna ( left ) who died at the weekend . August 2 , 1997 . This photograph was taken moments after Stuart Diver was freed from the rubble on August 2 , 1997 , after spending 65 hours buried in the rubble . Mr Diver lost his first wife Sally in the tragedy . Stuart Diver ( left ) pictured with paramedic Paul Featherstone ( right ) at his retirement in 2013 . Mr Featherstone is credited for helping keep him alive while trapped under the Thredbo landslide rubble . In June last year , he told The Australian : 'Obviously , secondary breast cancers are not nice , there ’ s never a good outcome at the end . ' 'But we ’ re doing everything we can , throwing everything at it , with Alessia being 3½ , we ’ re trying to stay as positive as we can . ' Stuart Diver , 45 , met his future wife , Rosanna Cossettini , two years after the Thredbo tragedy , which claimed his first wife ’ s life . Rosanna Cossettini married Stuart Diver in April , 2002 at Coolringdon , near Cooma in south-west NSW . Mrs Diver passed away on Saturday after a lengthy battle with breast cancer . Guests of the couple gather to celebrate their wedding at Crackenback Cottage April 2002 . Stuart Diver pictured two years after the Thredbo landslide . He has been a much-sought after public speaker since the tragedy and continued to work on the ski fields . In his memoir Stuart wrote that : ‘ I ’ d see Rosanna Cossettini now and then at the pub or walking around the village . We would chat but I never thought it would really amount to anything . ' ' I figured she was way too good to go out with a rogue like me. ’ His connection with Rosanna , he remembered , was truly special and she played a huge role in helping him heal from the trauma of his wife Sally ’ s death . ‘ I had always believed that if it was right in your heart , then it was right , ' he wrote of finding love after Sally 's tragic passing . 'With Rosanna , I found myself loving again . ' At the time they ran the Snow Cloud Ski Lodge in the Woodridge section of Thredbo village together . In 2007 , they set about building their dream home at Tura Beach on the South Coast . Stuart Diver with his first wife , Sally ( pictured ) . He wrote in his memoir that his connection with Rosanna was truly special and she played a huge role in helping him heal from the trauma of her death . Stuart Diver at the then launch of his remarkable tale `` Survival : The inspirational story of the Thredbo disaster 's sole survivor '' Stuart wrote in his 2012 autobiography : ‘ I knew in my heart that Sal would have wanted me to get on with my life. ’ Three weeks after they married came the shattering diagnosis : Rosanna had advanced breast cancer . However she recovered and , despite being told Rosanna could never carry a child , they welcomed their 'miracle baby ’ daughter Alessia on September 3 , 2011 . Rosanna was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in June 2013 which was reportedly followed by brain cancer . At the time they ran the Snow Cloud Ski Lodge in the Woodridge section of Thredbo village together . The final sentences of Diver ’ s 2012 memoir is an ode to his wife : ‘ Just look at what I now have … Alessia … Rosanna… my family… my career . 'Life ’ s good . All these things are evidence that something good can come out of something so bad. ’ Friday 's service will be held at a chapel in Thredbo and presided over by retired Salvation Army Lieutenant-Colonel Don Woodland . Diver first came to prominence as a result of his remarkable survival , pulled out of the rubble on August 2 1997 , some 65 hours after a landslide wrought havoc across Thredbo . The disaster killed his then wife Sally and 17 others . Two years later he met his now-wife Rosanna who helped him with his enormous grief .
Stuart Diver 's wife Rosanna dies after long battle with breast cancer . She was originally diagnosed with cancer just three weeks after they were married in 2002 . The couple was told they would n't be able to have children but had a daughter named Alessia in 2011 . A short statement has been issued : 'Stuart Diver and his extended family have requested privacy and respect for their loss at this time ' Stuart Diver was the sole survivor of the Thredbo disaster in 1997 , pulled out of the rubble after 65 hours . His first wife Sally was one of 18 victims of the landslide . Rosanna 's funeral will be held on Friday .