A former golden girl of British athletics died mysteriously while sunbathing topless in her back garden, an inquest heard.
Olympic 400m bronze medalist Donna Hartley-Wass had been suffering from high blood pressure and an irregular heart rhythm for which she was taking prescribed medication.
Although a pathologist said as an elite athlete her heart had been 'worked harder than most' he could not ascertain the cause of her death.
Mrs Hartley-Wass, 58, was found lying on a sun lounger in her bikini bottoms by her husband, comedian and actor Bobby Knutt.
He said in a statement she had been to work as a fitness instructor at a local gym, then saw a physiotherapist for back pain before she began relaxing with a glass of wine.
He said: 'We went into the garden to enjoy the sunshine and she was just wearing bikini bottoms. She went on the sun lounger to do her back face down.
'I went inside to watch a DVD then came back out to talk to her but she appeared to be sleepy so I thought better of it and left her.
'I went back in to watch some more DVDs then went outside again to see if she wanted some suntan lotion rubbing on her back.
'She was still in the same position face down with her head resting on her arms but her face had turned purple and she looked like she had died.'
He phoned for an ambulance to their home at Elsecar, near Barnsley but she could not be resuscitated.
He went on: 'She was fit and did not take drugs and would only have a couple of glasses of wine. I’m shocked. It was completely unexpected.'
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