But instead, John Hodgson's grieving family sit devastated in their quiet home as they try to come to terms with his death on what would have been his 42nd birthday.

It is believed the normally fit and healthy dad-of-five died of a second heart attack when he collapsed in his Jarrow home in May – just days after the first.

Today his partner of 24 years Sandy, 41, and their children Claire, 21, Nathan, 18, Becky, 13, Courtney, 10, and Cameron, four, paid tribute to a loving husband and a caring father, who was the "rock of the family".

Mrs Hodgson, who was due to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary in September, said: "He was such a kind man who would have done anything for anyone.

"On his birthday we all used to have a great laugh together, but today there's just going to be tears and flowers.

"And Christmas is coming up as well, I'm really not looking forward to it. It's hard for me to comfort the kids, because I'm struggling with my own grief.

"The little one is already asking where he is, and I just can't take this much more. We all loved him and miss him so much."

Mr and Mrs Hodgson, from Etal Crescent, Low Simonside, met when they were 17 and 18.

She added: "You couldn't say one wrong word about him. He was the love of my life. We had our ups and downs, but we stuck it out."

The widow now spends her days as a full-time carer for her mum and looking after her children.

The family had just returned from a holiday in the Spanish resort of Benidorm to celebrate Claire's 21st birthday when Mr Hodgson fell ill.

The former mechanic and security guard, who had a pacemaker fitted in February last year after being diagnosed with high blood pressure, had blacked out a couple of times.

He was taken to South Tyneside District Hospital on May 19 with pins and needles in his arms and pains in his chest.

He was admitted to the coronary care ward and told he had suffered a heart attack, which had damaged one of his arteries.

Doctors transferred him to Newcastle's Freeman Hospital for an angiogram, and an operation to open the artery with a stent was carried out.

Mr Hodgson, who didn't drink or smoke, was recovering at home when the suspected second heart attack hit. He was pronounced dead at hospital on May 28.