ANNE Marek, the wife of Wrexham AM Dr John Marek, died in Wrexham Maelor hospital on Sunday morning.

Mrs Marek, who was 63, had been ill with cancer but recovered after an operation.

During her recovery, however, she became depressed and suffered from the eating disorder, anorexia.

Although she was also recovering from her depressive illness, Dr Marek believes she died due to complications from her anorexia. A postmortem has been carried out.

An emotional Dr Marek said: 'We loved each other and I don't know what I will do without her.'

Mrs Marek was born in Cheshire in 1943 to Welsh parents. She was a nurse when she met John Marek, who was a student at the University of London, and the couple married at Abergele register office in 1963.

In 1966, the couple moved to Aberystwyth and Anne spent about 10 years as a civil servant, working for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fish-eries and Food first at Aberystwyth, where Dr Marek lectured in the university's applied maths department, and then at Llandrindod Wells.

In 1973, she tried unsuccessfully to gain election to Dyfed county council.

She underwent a career change when Dr Marek was elected as MP for Wrexham in 1983 and became his research assistant. Dr Marek, 65, was an MP until 2001.

He became the first Independent candidate to be elected to the National Assembly in 2003 and is a founder of the Forward Wales party.

He is Deputy Presiding Officer and Chair of The House Committee.

Mrs Marek was a board member of the Trustees of Nightingale House Hospice in Wrexham and a patron of Dynamic, an organisation for disabled people based in Salisbury Road, Wrexham.

She served for a short while as a coopted member of Offa Community Council.

Plaid Cymru AM Janet Ryder said: 'I have known Anne since 1999, I got to know her when I lived in Wrexham. She was one of the great characters around the Assembly and in politics and I'm really pleased I got to know her.

'It's such a great shock and devastating for John and my sympathies go out to him.

'She was always in the Assembly and would come and chat, she was a very nice person to have around. The Assembly will miss her as well as John.

'Any eating disorder is tragic and we don't have the specialist services to treat it. You don't always think of someone like Anne, a mature person, suffering from it. You associate it with young people but it can affect anyone and lead to tragic consequences.'

The funeral will take place on Monday (Mar 20) 2.30 at Wrexham crematorium.