A POPULAR Huddersfield pub landlady lost a three-year fight for life.

And Terri Thorne, 55, who had a brain illness, also had to combat the killer bug MRSA - contracted as she was in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

Now her grieving partner, David Widdup, has appealed for greater publicity about the MRSA bug, to help other people.

He said: "I think they don't tell people about it because they don't want to scare them. But they need to give people more information so they know the facts about MRSA."

Terri died on Monday, February 28, from problems associated with a brain haemorrhage she suffered in 2002. But she also had symptoms of MRSA

During the last few weeks of her life Terri, who had been landlady at The Sportsman Arms on St John's Road for 12 years, had been in and out of hospital with problems related to her haemorrhage.

Only days before she died she began suffering from skin problems and lesions on her eyes, nose and mouth, which were identified as being symptoms of MRSA.

Mr Widdup said doctors at first denied she had caught the lethal virus.

He said: "A healthcare assistant told me over the phone that Terri had contracted MRSA.

"When I approached the hospital they said she didn't have it. Days later they turned round and said she did."

Mr Widdup, 60, had been with mother-of-three Terri for more than 20 years.

He said: "You hear so much about MRSA you don't know what to think. I was worried that I could catch it and pass it on."

Mr Widdup said the loss of Terri had hit him hard.

He said: "After the operation on her brain haemorrhage she suffered a severe stroke, which left her unable to use the right side of her body.

"She was a real fighter and never gave up at all.

"She loved playing pool and we were looking at making more room in the pub so she could get round the table and play again.

"It's a massive loss for me. She kept me on the straight and narrow and was a wonderful woman.

"She even stopped me drinking and I run a pub!" he added.

Mr Widdup said he was still thankful to the Royal Infirmary.

He said: "The nurses were fabulous. They did everything they could for Terri and just worked so hard.

"The regulars in the pub have been absolutely fantastic as well," he said.

"Terri had a lot of friends and she's going to be badly missed."

A spokesman for the Royal Infirmary said: "We would like to offer our condolences to Mr Widdup at this difficult time."

He added: "The Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust is unable to comment on individual cases.

"However, patients who are found to have MRSA are immediately informed by staff and provided with an MRSA patient information leaflet.

"Infection control nurses are also available to talk to patients and their relatives, in order to provide any further information they may need.

"The trust also encourages all visitors to wash their hands on leaving the ward, irrespective of whether they have visited a patient with an infection," the spokesman said.