A MAN was arrested after the ex-wife of a former Town soccer star was found dead.
Debra Ellis - who used to be married to ex-Town skipper Ian Banks - died at a house in a village seven miles from Rotherham early on Sunday morning.
A post-mortem revealed she died from head injuries.
A 46-year-old man was arrested.
He was later released on police bail, pending further inquiries.
He is thought to have alerted paramedics at 2am on Sunday.
Mum-of-one Ms Ellis, 45, was found in an upstairs bedroom at a house in scenic Laughton-en-le- Morthen.
She comes originally from Rawmarsh, near Rotherham, and was previously married to 45-year-old midfielder Banks, who played for Huddersfield in the 1980s.
It is believed the incident leading to Ms Ellis's injuries happened inside the house.
One neighbour said: "It's a very quiet community and we don't usually have this sort of thing happening. It's quite shocking.
"We didn't know the man or the woman well. He lodged there and the woman came to visit him at weekends and other times. We don't even know their names, because we didn't have much to do with them. But they seemed pleasant enough."
In a statement issued through South Yorkshire Police, Ms Ellis's family said: "Debra was a lovely daughter, loving sister and a brilliant mum.
"She was a very popular person and was great fun to be with, having many friends in and around the Rotherham area. She will be sadly missed by everyone who knew her."
Ian Banks has refused to talk about the tragedy.
He played for Town 86 times between 1986 and 1988. He ended his playing career as a vital cog in the Emley team which reached the third round of the FA Cup against West Ham in 1998.
He also played for Barnsley, WBA, Bradford, Leicester and Rotherham United.
