A 'highly talented' university lecturer killed herself after her husband began an extra marital affair and wanted a divorce, an inquest has heard.
Dr Claire Dinan began suffering from anxiety and depression following the breakdown of her 28-year marriage when husband Frank O'Friel revealed he had met someone at work, Exeter Coroner's Court heard.
The Area Coroner Nicholas Lane said Dr Dinan struggled with her mental health in the weeks and months before she died and was suffering anxiety and depression largely due to the news of her husband's affair.
The 53-year-old also believed her two children, who she adored, would be better off without her and thought her death would allow her friends and family to 'get on with their lives'.
Dr Dinan had also written a journal which highlighted the turmoil she was going through, adding that the ordeal had left her 'sad and broken'.
