She died of a broken heart

A multi-millionaire restaurant owner has talked for the first time about the tragedy that led to the death of his wife.

Barry Cox, founder of the Hard Rock Café chain, spoke out following an inquest yesterday into the death of his 41-year-old wife, Camille.

He had faced claims that he had assaulted Mrs Cox, whom he found dead at her home in St John's Wood two years ago.

But Mr Cox said his wife "died of a broken heart", turning to drugs to cope with the death of their son in a crash when she was driving.

Mrs Cox's parents, Don and Rose Batson - who are locked in a bitter feud with their son-in-law - had hired lawyers to challenge a pathologist's findings that she died from an overdose of recreational drug GHB, also known as liquid ecstasy, and painkillers.

They said there was an alternative explanation for her death and pointed to injuries on her body, including black eyes and a cut in her mouth, which could have resulted from a punch. Their lawyer accused Mr Cox of beating her.

But Mr Cox said Camille had begun taking drugs to cope with her nightmares after their seven-year-old son Jamie died in a car crash in America. As firefighters fought to free Mrs Cox, Jamie and his six-year-old sister, Olivia, from the wreckage, Camille had cradled her son's head as he lay dying. Mr Cox, of west Kensington, told the Standard: "I believe that Camille died of a broken heart. She never got over our son and I regret not being able to do more for her but unfortunately she was past help.

"I did not want ever to denigrate Camille's name to make my life easier. I know what happened, my friends know what happened and Camille's family know what happened - they were just eaten with shame and guilt with how they treated their daughter in her last year of life."

Mr Cox, reportedly worth more than $100 million, said his main priority was Olivia, now 10, who had been deeply traumatised by witnessing the death of her brother and losing her mother.

He said: "Olivia is fantastic, she is fully recovered... Every birthday, Christmas and Mother's Day we talk about her brother and her mother. She is aware that Jamie and Mummy live in heaven and we buy 50 white helium balloons and send cards to heaven to them."

Mr Cox hit back at suggestions he had hurt his wife, saying there had been lots of "innuendo" during the inquest but all allegations against him had been disproved. With tears in his eyes, he said: "I met Camille on February 1 1988 and I love her today as much as I did on that day. It was a case that we couldn't live together and we couldn't live without each other.

"Our house is still festooned with pictures of us as a family and my sole aim is to help Olivia rebuild her life and let her mummy rest in peace."

But he will not forgive his wife's parents for what they have implied about him. They had raised the issue of a reunion with their grand-daughter through their lawyer. But Mr Cox said: "As far as I am concerned when she is 18 she can make her own mind up."

Coroner Dr Paul Knapman recorded an open verdict, saying it was "highly unlikely" Mrs Cox's death "was as a result of injuries sustained by the actions of another person". He said "a lot of innuendo" had been "placed at Mr Cox's feet" which he saw as unfair.

He said the cause of death was "fatal medical complications, following a combination of a recent intake of drugs, injuries to the body" and liver problems.

Rose Batson said in a statement: "The verdict recorded shows that no definitive cause of death has been established. It has been our sole objective throughout the inquiry to find the actual cause of our daughter's death. Sadly, we still do not know and may never know how she really died."