The brother of a woman who starved to death has spoken of the happier times before her tragic decline.

Clare Kelly, 45, of Colwell Gardens, Haywards Heath, died on July 7 last year weighing just five and a half stone.

On Thursday (march 22) an inquest heard that neither she nor her boyfriend Rod Stobart, a radiographer who was based at the nearby Princess Royal Hospital, sought medical attention for her, despite a lengthy decline into ill health.

Miss Kelly's younger brother Nigel Kelly, 44, told The Argus of his bitter sadness at her loss.

Mr Kelly said: "For the majority of her life Clare was vibrant, energetic and very outgoing.

"She was always active and never liked to be still. If she was ever sad or down it wasn't for very long as she would shrug it off and cheer herself up and move on.

"Clare liked to have a wide circle of friends and to have an audience.

"In stark contrast in the last few years of her life she became more isolated and then more withdrawn and eventually a mere shadow of her former self."

Miss Kelly developed alcoholism in the mid nineties and rarely left her home in the last three years of her life. At the inquest at Worthing Town Hall Mr Kelly said Mr Stobart had blocked her family from seeing her for much of this time.

Coroner Roger Stone recorded a narrative verdict, which said she died from extreme emaciation contributed to by her own and others' failure to seek medical attention for her.

He said when Clare had been healthy she liked cats, dogs, horse riding, music, going to nightclubs and driving.

Mr Kelly said: "All my fond memories of Clare are from our childhood. We had great holidays together in Devon where we would often stay with our cousins and in Belgium.

"Many evenings and weekends were spent playing games in the garden or roaming the countryside, visiting the donkeys in the top field or putting frog spawn in our wellies."

He said that in more recent years Clare had liked to see her nephews and always took a great interest in what they were getting up to.

She was born in Haywards Heath on February 7, 1961, and spent most of her life in the town. She was raised by her parents Anthony and Rosemary with Nigel and her sister Sarah Haslett, 42.

Mr Kelly said: "The last memory I have of Clare is a chilling one. When we saw her on New Year's Eve 2005 she was already just skin and bones, no spark, unable to walk properly and very quiet.

"Unfortunately it is this memory that dominates at the moment but hopefully in time the better ones will remain the strongest.

"Clare was much loved by all her family and is sorely missed."