Partner speaks of heartache after Wolverhampton woman found dead in Thai swimming pool

Rachel Turner, aged 42 and from Bushbury, was on a dream holiday with her partner Stefan Brown.

The pair travelled to the country last week and had checked into a hotel on Koh Chang island the night before she died.

Reports in Thailand said she was found lying face down in the pool by a hotel staff member at 6am over the weekend.

She was taken to hospital but could not be revived.

Ms Turner was originally from Penkridge and studied at Staffordshire University.

In Thailand it was reported that an initial autopsy confirmed Ms Turner died from drowning.

Just hours earlier Mr Brown had posted pictures from his hotel room.

The couple ran a recruitment business.

Mr Brown is reported as saying: "When we got to Koh Chang she was crying her eyes out with happiness because she had never seen anything so beautiful."

He said he believed Ms Turner, a strong swimmer, had gone for a early-morning swim after suffering jet lag.

Mr Brown said he was woken by the hotel manager yesterday and told what had happened.

'We had the perfect day together. You keep getting these viewpoints and she was absolutely crying her eyes out.

'She had never been so happy and never seen anything so beautiful. She had never been out of Europe. I had always wanted to take her to Thailand.'

He added: 'We went to bed early because we were tired. We went to bed at 10pm cuddling and next thing I know I'm getting a bang on the door from the owner.

'I thought she had gone for a walk and had fallen asleep on a sun lounger and he couldn't wake her up.

'I went outside and thought "oh my God" - my whole world dropped. I don't want to say what I saw. It's just too hard at the moment.

'We had both had relationships before but we had found our soul-mates. Neither of us had ever been in love so much.'

Ms Turner used her Facebook page to tell of the couple's trip from Bangkok down the coast by bus and then on to Koh Chang by ferry.

She posted a photo of herself driving the vessel over to the holiday island.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Thailand and we are providing consular support to the family."