Wife said goodbye to husband like every morning but didn't know it was last time

The devastated wife of a 'much-loved' Oldham businessman and father who took his own life told an inquest into his death: "The pressure of everything was too much for him."An outpouring of tributes followed the death of Dale Harris, who passed away in hospital on January 12 this year. The 31-year-old was a prominent figure in Oldham, having held positions at football clubs including Oldham Athletic and a sports charity.Mr Harris' wife Georgia Harris described him to an inquest at Rochdale Coroners' Court this week as 'a very loving and fun person', who was 'outgoing' and 'motivated most of the time'.READ MORE: Nanny who 'killed' baby with 'antihistamine overdose' named as agency worker with 20 years experienceREAD MORE: Mum who drowned trapped in rocks might have lived if fire service had been told fasterShe revealed he had an 'on-and-off struggle' with mental ill-health since 2018, which continued into 2021 and 2022, with her husband telling family members he 'did not want to be here'. On one occasion, he attended A&E with suicidal thoughts, reports the Manchester Evening News.Ms Harris said her partner, a father-of-three, 'had been drinking at the time', attributing it to 'financial pressure and pressure from work'. "He had treatment and medication and stopped drinking," she told assistant coroner Julie Mitchell. "Eventually he came out of it and felt better."Ms Harris informed the court that Mr Harris had begun a new role at Chadderton Football Club alongside 'some self employment work'. "He took a big pay cut when he left his previous job," she added. "It impacted on his mood. He was under a lot of pressure at his previous job."Mr Harris worked as head of commercial at Oldham Athletic from July 2024 to August 2025, his LinkedIn profile shows. He transferred to Chadderton FC that September. Ms Harris explained there was a recurring cycle of him experiencing periods of depression before 'coming out of it', which he attributed to 'money pressures'. The coroner raised the matter of trading on Radex Markets."He did it a while ago and built up quite a lot of money, but he didn't actually get the money," Ms Harris said. "He decided not to do it again. He said it was like gambling."A friend, the court was told, informed Ms Harris her husband had been active on the platform during the weeks leading up to his death. The coroner presented email evidence showing he had requested a withdrawal of £10,000 from his Radex account, which was rejected, on January 8.Mr Harris subsequently requested a withdrawal of £1,100, it was heard. "His friends said they were advising him to withdraw it before the market dropped," Ms Harris continued. "We were under financial pressure and had debts together - on the house and from doing it up," she said. "I think he didn't want to get my hopes up about having money he might lose."Ms Harris described her husband as 'quite low' in December, noting: "It was the financial pressure of Christmas, it really got on top of him. But he seemed to come out of it afterwards and have a more positive outlook... making plans." The weekend preceding his death appeared ordinary, Ms Harris told the court.He went out walking the following Monday morning, before returning to assist with breakfast and the school run at approximately 8am, the hearing was told. "He was a bit irritable but nothing else out of the ordinary," Ms Harris said, wiping away tears. "We said 'goodbye' like we normally would every morning."Ms Harris said she assumed he had gone to work. He was, in reality, at his parents' home. After penning letters to his loved ones, Mr Harris made two unsuccessful attempts to take his own life. He then consumed a fatal dose of his mother's prescription medication. He telephoned his father at around 11.30am and was driven to the Royal Oldham Hospital.Mr Harris was assessed after arriving at approximately 12.20pm. ICU consultant Dr Sridhar Surapaneni said medical staff did everything possible. Mr Harris suffered cardiac arrest and died at around 5.20pm. Asked about the notes he left behind, his wife Georgia said 'the pressure of everything was too much for him'.His mother Amanda, the court was told, said: "I spoke to him the night before and he was fine. We thought he was the best he'd been for a long time, since leaving the football club. Dale doesn't think the way others think. Once he gets an idea there is no shifting him from it. He did not have a formal diagnosis but he has ADHD. It brought success but it brought difficulties as well. I think he was struggling to cope."Assistant coroner Ms Mitchell recorded a conclusion of suicide, stating that Mr Harris' death resulted from cardiogenic shock brought on by a medication overdose, with underlying heart conditions serving as a contributing factor. "I have heard that Dale could be rigid in his thinking," Ms Mitchell said. "He wrote carefully considered letters. He could have walked away from his plans. I am satisfied that he took the medication deliberately, knowing that the consequences were his own death."** For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website. **