Only then did Cairns realise he was walking out of the Southwark Crown Court a free man. A wave of relief washed over him. The bag slung over his shoulder just in case he went to prison, will now carry his gear back on a plane home to wife Mel and their two children in Australia.
Nine weeks after they were selected in a panel of 16 and whittled down to 12, the jurors were discharged. Cairns and Fitch-Holland mouthed their thanks as they walked out.
Justice Nigel Sweeney formally released both men from the dock, a fish tank in the middle of Courtroom 1. Cairns sat down at a long bench behind all the lawyers, staring straight ahead in shock. Fitch-Holland walked to the back of the courtroom and put his arm around fiancée Ruth.
Once the formalities were over, Cairns shook hands with his defence team Orlando Pownall QC and Simon Ray. It was over.
Fifteen minutes later, the 45-year-old emerged from the building to address a phalanx of waiting media.
For nearly two months, cameramen and photographers have captured his every move - even his daily walk to Pret a Manger (a British sandwich shop) for lunch.
Now, Cairns was able to have his say without fear of affecting the jury.
First, he thanked the jury and then his legal team and others helping behind the scenes.
Exhausted after living in London for three months, he was looking forward to being reunited with his family.
Life had been hell for the past five years, since Lalit Modi first accused him of match-fixing in a tweet on January 5, 2010.
He had been "through the mill" and come out the other side.
But did the verdict vindicate him?
"I just think having been through the Royal Courts of Justice [the 2012 libel trial] and now the criminal system, it's a pretty robust system and the jury today came back with a not guilty verdict.
"You have to be careful because it's not a victory as such because a case like this, I really don't think there're any winners. It's been hell for everyone involved."
There were tears in his eyes at the mention of his family.
As for Mr Modi, who will try to overturn the libel judgment and reclaim a 1.4 million pound bill, Cairns said he would think about him next week.
"I'll just deal with this one at the moment and get through today."
Former New Zealand teammates Brendon McCullum and Lou Vincent directly accused him of match-fixing, while Daniel Vettori, Chris Harris, Shane Bond and Andre Adams gave supporting statements.
There was perhaps, said Cairns, what his counsel described as "confirmation bias" or an assumption of guilt.
"I don't think people were there with malicious intent," said Cairns.
"I just think that over time - I mean we're talking a long time ago - with regards that there were really only a couple of people who had that assertion if you like."
He ruled out any future career or role in cricket; his reputation was "completely scorched".
But Cairns was pleased for his father Lance, another legend of New Zealand cricket, whom he described as a "cricket man through and through".
"I'm just happy with my father and my mother, they can hold their heads high in New Zealand so that's really important."
And what would Cairns say to Brendon McCullum, his former friend and protégé, who made the most damaging claims in court?
There was a long pause, before Cairns simply asked: "why?"
With that, he was done. With photographers trailing him for one final image, Cairns walked away from the Southwark Crown Court for the last time.
"I'm off for a beer."
- Jared Savage in London
