Gary Speed's widow admitted that she stormed out of their house after an argument and spent the night in the car hours before he was found hanged.

Louise Speed, 41, made the revelation during the inquest into the former Wales manager's death at Warrington Town Hall in Cheshire.

Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg returned a narrative verdict and ruled there was not enough evidence to say it was intentional. However, Speed, 42, had sent a text to his wife in the days before he died that had 'talked in terms of taking his life'.

Grief: Louise Speed, 40, pictured today leaving the inquest, revealed how she left the family home after a row and could not get back in. She discovered her husband Gary hanged the next morning

Mrs Speed said they had 'had words' the night before he was found hanging in the garage and she had walked out. She said: 'We walked in the house and we had an exchange of words about something and nothing.'

She added: 'I can't even remember what it was.'

'I suggested I would go for a drive. He blocked the back door and said "You are not going anywhere".

'I went upstairs and lay on the bed for probably about five or ten minutes. Then I decided to go for a drive, to clear my mind (and for) space to think.'

She drove to the 'top of the road' - but her husband did not respond to her call when she tried to ring. After driving back to the house he again did not reply so she slept in the car because she had locked herself out.

After getting some sleep she woke up at about 6am and went to the outside bathroom.

She said she noticed some shed keys missing which were usually stored there and went to the shed to see if Gary was there, before moving to the garage.

The widow broke down in tears as she described walking to the rear of the of the house and seeing her husband's body suspended on stairs from through the window.

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