Cancer bride dies 90 Minutes before wedding

The 32 year-old had been due to marry Alex Bradford, 30, at a beautiful country house next month but the date was brought forward as her condition worsened. They were due to tie the knot at 4.30pm on a Saturday a fortnight ago but she passed away at 3pm following a four-year battle with ovarian cancer. On Thursday her devastated fiancé and parents paid tribute to the bride, from Exeter, Devon, who they said inspired many other women to fight the disease. The couple, who met at EDF Energy in Exeter where they worked, started their relationship just nine months ago. Mr Bradford proposed in January and the wedding was due to be held set for April 18 at Colehayes Park, a Grade II listed Georgian mansion in Dartmoor National Park. But on March 16 the couple decided to bring the date forward to the following day because of her deteriorating health A special licence was sought so a registrar could marry them at the family home. But Miss Webb died at 3pm with Alex and fiancé and family at her bedside, 90 minutes before they were due to take their vows. Her funeral was held on Tuesday. "On the day she was obviously excited and I was too. But by 2pm she got worse and within an hour she had passed away," Mr Bradford said. "She just kept herself together all through the illness. Some people give up but she always thought she was going to beat it. "Jemma may have had cancer, but cancer never had Jemma. Everyone was in awe for what she did and how she handled the cancer." Mr Bradford admitted he had no idea she had cancer when they first started dating. "I didn't know she was ill, you wouldn't," he said. "It was just a normal relationship as you could imagine to start with, but then two months in the cancer spread to her liver and her lungs and I knew then that I had to be there for her. "But I loved her – it was as simple as that, so it was never really a decision." Miss Webb first displayed symptoms in 2008. She underwent surgery and started what was to be four years of chemotherapy in February 2010. Miss Webb's mother Janet said her daughter worked hard to raise the profile of the Eve Appeal, as well as running the Great West Run, Birmingham Half Marathon. She also took part in the Race for Life the weekend after she had undergone chemotherapy. "She was inspirational – she carried on as if there was going to be every tomorrow," she said. "She was completely wiped out after the Race for Life but she was determined to do it." "She touched everyone she came in contact with and she lived life to the full and never gave up. She added: "She was determined to get across the message to younger women about the dangers of ovarian cancer which they call the silent killer. "We cared for her at home but it wasn't really care because she did it herself, she was very independent." Her father Bob added: "She was absolutely unique. "The week she died I helped her do her bedroom – she was always looking forward and never back. "She never once let her dress drop, she never once let her make up drop, she never let her hair go silly, she never felt sorry for herself and always thought of other people before herself." He added: "At her funeral there was about four times the church outside and inside, they had to do it by a loudspeaker." Miss Webb's campaign for the Eve Appeal gynaecological cancer research charity has been widely praised. The charity said she had helped get the message to thousands of women. Liz Engel, of the Eve Appeal, said: "I first came into contact with Jemma in 2009 when she wrote to me about her illness and was concerned that most of the people she knew were not aware of the risks or symptoms associated with ovarian cancer. "Despite living with the worry and uncertainty of her diagnosis she was unwavering in her determination to help us to reach others, and particularly younger women like herself. "There must have been days when she just didn't feel like it but whenever we asked her she would cheerfully agree."