A widow who found her husband dead on the sofa she banished him to after a row over his working hours has found love just two months later – with his brother.
Mother-of-three Ashley Murrell, 33, had a heated argument with her husband Mikey, 36, when he returned home late from a 16 hour shift as she was worried he was running himself into the ground.
Mrs Murrell told her husband to sleep on the sofa on May 16, but when the beauty therapist woke up the next morning, she discovered her husband had died.
She later learned her husband, who worked as a carpet cleaner, had been working extra hours to save money to take her to Prague for their anniversary on July 3.
But now it has emerged that she is now in a relationship with his brother, Chris, after he supported her through her grief.
A friend told the Sun Online: ‘Chris and Ashley have been through so much but they have really been there for each other.
‘It’s strange how from something so awful, something good can happen. They are really happy together.’
A picture on Chris’ Facebook shows the word ‘BRO’ tattooed on his knuckles in a tribute to his late brother.
Mrs Murrell said the post-mortem revealed Mikey had choked in his sleep but the cause behind it was ‘inconclusive’.
Paying tribute to her husband Ms Murrell, who lives in Wellington in Somerset, said:
“Mikey was so caring, if he walked into a room and saw someone unhappy he would be the first person there trying to cheer them up.
‘He absolutely loved his family. He wanted his kids to have all the things in life that he didn’t and he worked so hard to make that happen. He would work 16-hour shifts, seven days a week just so he could save up enough to take us all to Disney every year. .
.
He was so worn out but he would do anything just to see us smile. But the hours he was working were just getting too much. He was so exhausted all the time and he was running himself into the ground and his health was going downhill fast.When he came home that night he was a mess, I have never seen him so exhausted. I couldn’t stand seeing him like that and I got angry. I was sick of it. I had a go at him and told him to sleep on the sofa which was stupid because I really just wanted him around more.
When the ambulance came and they confirmed he was dead I collapsed onto the floor and I was sick. Nothing made sense. I felt so guilty. Losing Mikey has changed my entire perspective on life.
Life is too short to go to bed angry and not to spend every moment you can with your family.”
