Husband deserts wife who gave him her kidney

A woman who donated a kidney to save her husband's life told today how he repaid her - by running off with a new lover.

John Jewell was on the verge of death four years ago and needed a kidney transplant.

So Carol Jewell, the mayor of Woodley, Berkshire, immediately agreed to the painful operation, risking her own life.

It was a natural decision for a wife of 30 years who worked alongside her councillor husband.

Later, when the mother of two discovered she had breast cancer, she assumed she could count on the same level of support. However, the decades of loyalty vanished when Mr Jewell, 53, met another woman. He resigned his seat on the council he had served for 25 years and went to Dorset to be with his new lover.

Mrs Jewell, also 53, has been told her cancer is in remission. But there was no celebration.

Speaking from her home in Woodley, she said of her husband today: "I'm not vindictive towards him. I try to look forward and not look back. Life's too short."

She refused to name her love rival, saying it would cause more hurt for the families involved.