Devoted Durham dad died after eating curry

Angus Myers collapsed in front of his wife and 11-yearold son after suffering a suspected allergic reaction to a takeaway chicken tikka masala in the family home.

His wife, Marie, and son, Shaun, tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead in hospital.

Last night, Mrs Myers said: “We’re more than devastated.

I feel like I’m constantly being tortured.”

Tragedy struck shortly after 9pm on Saturday, at the family home in High Street, Carrville, near Durham City.

And a double tragedy may have been narrowly avoided.

Four-year-old Ben, who also has a nut allergy, might have shared the curry had he not gone to bed earlier.

Mrs Myers said her husband had asked staff at the Indian takeaway restaurant, which is in the Durham area, whether the curry contained nuts and was told it did not.

She said: “He always asked if it’s got nuts in. I’m just pleased Ben was in bed or he might have had it as well.”

The 29-year-old student nurse said her husband of six years was a devoted and loving family man.

She said: “This shouldn’t have happened to a 32-yearold man with children, who loved life, his family and me.

“He was devoted. He was so loving. He said to me two days before: ‘You’ll never have a man who loves you more than me’. He was a very sociable person and he got on with everybody. He was always the soul of the party. He had a smile that lit up a room.

“He was the most caring man. And funny – that’s why I loved him, because he made me laugh.

“He would do anything for anybody. His kids and me were his life. All he wanted was for me and the kids to be proud of him and for us to be happy. That was his priority.

“He was a very good man. I don’t think he was disliked by anybody.”

A Newcastle United fan born in Chester-le-Street, Mr Myers was a mechanic and had just fulfilled his lifetime ambition of opening his own garage.

Durham 4 Wheel Drive, in Bowburn, recently celebrated its first year of trading.

On the day of his death, he had been shopping online for a surprise 30th birthday present for his wife.

Mrs Myers said: “I still don’t know what it is.

“He was going to make food but he’d cleaned the house so was tired.

“He’d put our youngest to bed, and he said: ‘We’ll just get a takeaway’. I suggested an Indian.

“We decided what to have and he rang and asked if they have got nuts in.

“They said no.

“It was delivered and we sat down to watch The X Factor results.

“Shaun was with us. As soon as it touches his mouth he knows if it’s got nuts in or not. He said: ‘That’s got nuts in’.”

Suddenly, Mr Myers was clinging to a kitchen chair.

His wife called an ambulance.

She said: “He was fitting. He went blue. I had to ask Shaun to try to get him off the chair, which was most traumatic for my son. We got him onto the floor and tried to revive him.

“After the paramedics arrived it seemed like forever, and we had to get out of the way because there were so many people in here.”

Mr Myers was taken to University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City, but doctors were unable to save him.

Mrs Myers, originally from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, said: “I went to say goodbye to him, while they stopped trying to resuscitate him.”

She said her husband had always had a nut allergy, but his most serious reaction previously had been to feel sick for a couple of hours. “Only three weeks ago he felt sick and said something must have had nuts in. That used to be the worst the allergy could be.”

The couple, who moved to Carrville from Bowburn about two-and-a-half years ago, live with their children, Ben, four, 12-year-old Gabrielle and 11- year-old Shaun.

Mr Myers has another son, ten-year-old Jonathan.

Gabrielle has Down’s Syndrome and autism and attends The Oaks special school, in Spennymoor. Shaun and Ben go to St Thomas More RC Primary School, in Durham.

Mr Myers’ funeral will be held at St Joseph’s RC Church, Gilesgate, on Tuesday, at 11.15am. Donations will be taken for Down’s Syndrome North-East.

An inquest into his death was opened and adjourned yesterday.