The 43-year-old fitness fanatic and her family were devastated to hear she had liver cancer.

But as Jill's condition deteriorated, tests showed that she didn't have the disease.

Her devastated widower Paul, 45, of Lambton, Washington, says she died of organ failure at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

He said a post-mortem examination showed she had necrotic gall bladder and perforated bowel which caused septicaemia and peritonitis, an inflammation of the membrane in the abdomen and intestinal tract.

Paul said: "It's terrible. Jill was devastated when she was diagnosed with cancer. She was never the same."

Paul says he wants to know why Jill was wrongly told she had cancer and is hoping an inquest will provide answers.

The problems began when Jill – who used to exercise five nights a week – began complaining of pains in her shoulder and side.

When the pain got worse, her doctor sent her for tests at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

Paul says that in March last year, she received the devastating diagnosis that she had cancer, which had spread to her liver.

In July, Jill and her family, including son Carl, now 13, went on holiday to Egypt, for what she believed could be their last trip together.

Just a couple of days after returning, Jill's condition worsened, with symptoms including a swollen abdomen, severe stomach pains and dizzy spells.

She was readmitted to hospital and underwent a blood transfusion and further tests including liver biopsies and CT scans.

Over the next four weeks, Jill's condition deteriorated and she became jaundiced and repeatedly collapsed.

Paul, 45, a reinstatement manager for Fastflow Pipes, says that he demanded emergency treatment after finding her cold and unresponsive, while her skin had turned black down one side.

He says he was given the devastating news his wife would not survive – and that she did not have cancer.

Paul says Jill – who was a production worker at Rocket Medical in Washington – remained heavily sedated because she was in pain.

She died in Sunderland Royal Hospital on September 18 last year.

He said: "The surgeon told me that Jill was a mess inside, while the post-mortem report said she had a necrotic gall bladder and a perforated bowel which had leaked waste matter into her abdomen, causing peritonitis and septicaemia. There was apparently no sign of cancer."

He added: "The doctors in ITU did seem to try everything they could but from that point on Jill was unconscious and needed ventilation to keep her alive.

"Jill died without ever really knowing what was actually wrong with her – the saddest thing is that she suffered the anxiety and sorrow of thinking that she was fading away with a terminal illness when it now seems as though this was not the case."

Sunderland coroner Derek Winter has opened an inquest into Jill's death. A pre-inquest hearing was held on Monday but no date has yet been set for the full hearing.

A spokesman for City Hospitals Sunderland said: "The case is subject to legal proceedings. It is not possible to comment further."