A “strong” mum who lived for her family was found dead in her new caravan shortly after she broke up with her ex-partner, an inquest has heard.
Carol Brierley, 61, had been “struggling to cope” following her breakup with her husband Nick, to whom she had been married for decades.
She had called Mr Brierly several times after their 30-year relationship ended in 2021 and she had moved into a caravan.
An inquest into her death held at Blackburn Town Hall on November 24 found she struggled with the breakdown of their marriage.
But she also appeared hopeful for the future and booked an appointment with her GP, who said that, while she had been “devastated”, her anxiety had decreased.
Ms Brierly had met her husband in 1981 while working behind the bar at a local pub, and they tied the know four years later in 1985 when she was 19 and Mr Brierly was 16, Leicestershire Live reports.
Her husband said in a statement that she was a “strong woman”, and that they had spoken two to three times a week after they separated two years ago.
She was using painkillers for a hip condition before she was discovered dead in her caravan on June 16 this year.
Tests revealed she had potentially fatal levels of painkillers in her system at the time of her death and levels of the antidepressant Sertraline reportedly within the range encountered in fatalities.
But her family rejected the conclusion that she had taken her own life in a statement.
They said they didn’t believe the mum, who “loved her family more than anything” intended to take her own life “[because] from previous experiences with suicide she has seen the impact it has”.
Area Coroner Kate Bisset concurred, concluding that her cause of death was misadventure.
Ms Bisset said: “I am not satisfied that she intended to take her own life.”
“She was distressed, but she was also a very strong woman and had taken steps to improve her mood.
“Things, for the first time, were turning a corner. She had an appointment and she was looking forward to going on holiday. She had an awful lot to live for.”
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