British grandmother chokes to death in Spanish restaurant after going out for steak with her husband

A British grandmother choked to death on steak in a Spanish restaurant after going out for a meal with her husband.

Ceri Ball, 74, and her husband Glyn, 77, had been enjoying a sunny vacation at their Valencia holiday home shortly before the nightmare unfolded.

The couple were out for a meal out in the coastal town of Peñíscola when Ceri ordered a steak - and choked within seconds.

Her daughter Lisa Lisseman, 54, said her parents had been in Spain for a few months before the tragedy struck.

She said: 'My mum and dad have a home from home out in Spain.

'They'd been there a few months and were due to come home next week.. They'd gone out, had a lovely day and went out for a meal. Mum took a mouthful, and it got stuck in her throat.

'Dad said she was unconscious in seconds, and everyone tried to help her. The waiter tried to help her, and someone phoned an ambulance.'

Grandmother Ceri,of Rogerstone, Newport, South Wales, was rushed to the nearby Hospital Comarcal de Vinaròs.

Doctors desperately tried to save her but her body had been starved of oxygen and she died the following day on October 17.

Lisa said: 'They got the food out twenty minutes later and restarted her heart. They tried to keep her on machines overnight for me and my sister Helen to get over to Spain, and we didn't make it.

'Dad was there on his own, and they basically said to Dad her brain was too damaged. He said his goodbyes and left.'

Paying tribute, Lisa said: 'Our beautiful mum, wife, grandmother (Gigi) died in the most tragic of circumstances.

'She was our matriarch, she was the queen, she was opinionated, but she cared about everyone. We are heartbroken.

'If something happened to someone else, she would be the first to help them, arranging a charity day and cooking for them. She was so selfless.'

The family has thanked charity The Repatriation Services Trust set up by the parents of Tom Bassett who was killed by a drink driver in Dubai in 2017.

They have now set up a fundraising page to raise some money for the trust founded by Tom's parents Linda and Steve.

Lisa said: 'They've been so amazing. I contacted Steve, and he asked, "What can we do? What can we help with?" and they've taken that financial strain from us.

'Without them all of dad's savings would have been wiped.

'It is difficult to put into words how much their support meant to us all and we want to help them continue in their selfless quest.'

The family remain in Spain while arrangements are being made to bring Ceri home.