Evidence has emerged supporting a husband’s claims that the apparent suicide of a former journalist came in the wake of botched surgery.

Carole Denby, 63, of Pontyates, Carmarthenshire, suffered eight years of agonising ankle pain after undergoing numerous operations to fix a broken ankle.

She maintained that medics failed to remove a metal screw following the treatment and her husband claims he now has evidence that she was right after a screw was found in her ashes.

Carole had previously worked as a freelance journalist working with the likes of John Pilger and Austin Mitchell, now the Labour MP for Great Grimsby.

Howard Denby, 57, told the Daily Mail he has now been given a titanium screw which was found in her ashes after Carole was cremated..

He says this prove his wife was right all along about a metal screw being left inside her.

The newspaper claims that finding comes despite her medical notes stating: “There’s no evidence of any significant residual metal within the field of surgery.”

Howard blames the titanium screw for making her ill after her operation – and believes it led to her suspected overdose of prescription tablets.

During her eight year of suffering, Carole suffered a stroke and was sectioned under the Mental Health Act, the paper reports.

Howard has now given the screw to police who are investigating Carole’s death for the coroner.

He said: “Carole was adamant there was some metal left over but the doctors wouldn’t listen.”

Carole had her ankle pinned together by surgeons eight years earlier after she broke it while walking in the countryside

But the operation didn’t work and she reacted badly to the metal screws, pins and bolts holding her ankle together.

Surgeons at Morriston Hospital in Swansea operated again and Howard claims the couple were assured all the metal had been removed from her ankle.

The Hywel Dda University Health Board, which runs Morriston Hospital, said a review had been carried out on the care given to Carole.

A spokesman said “We offer our condolences to Mr Denby and the health board will fully co-operate with HM Coroner.”

An inquest into Carole’s death will reopen after toxicology tests have been completed.

Calls are being made for an independent probe into the health care she received.

Rhodri Glyn Thomas, the Plaid Cymru AM for Carmarthen East & Dinefwr, said: “My impression has been that not as much was done to help her as should have been” adding “I certainly believe there should be an independent inquiry.”

The couple had planned to launch an environmental business, but had to abandon the project when her health deteriorated.