A mum-of-five died from a heart attack after waiting eighty minutes for an ambulance - leaving her husband to do CPR alone at home. Michelle Roberts, 39, was at home when she suddenly developed a heartburn sensation and a feeling in her throat in October 2024. After calling her husband, Ben Roberts, 43, Michelle then called 111 to explain her symptoms. Ben arrived home while Michelle was still on the phone to 111 and she was told at the end of the call that an ambulance would be sent out. Ben prepared the children's dinner and went to check on Michelle a short while later and found her "slumped and not breathing" on the bed and immediately began CPR. As he tried to save his wife, he claims he called 999 to ask when the ambulance would arrive - but says they couldn't give him a time. He continued CPR for nearly an hour whilst blood began to "pour out of her eyes, ears and mouth" as his children watched in horror. Eventually, an ambulance arrived but it was too late and Michelle was pronounced dead. The East of England Ambulance Service wrote a letter to Ben after discovering that there were "handover delays" between 111 and 999. The service went on to say that "despite its best efforts to gain the outcome of their review, the Luton and Dunstable Hospital did not wish to make comment in this outcome letter". Ben, a stay-at-home dad from Bedfordshire, said: "My life has gone downhill since then - I lost my wife. I lost my £96,000-a-year job. I went back to work after two months, and social services got involved and they told me I had to quit my job as I wouldn't be able to care for my kids. "I'm on universal credit now. I'm on my own with very little help. I'm left with five children and social services won't leave me alone even though I do my best. With the little money I do get I'm using food banks to just about get enough food in the house. "I'm now not fit to work basically. I want to work, but I don't think I can." Ben said after the call to 111 he and Michelle didn't know how serious it was. He said: "We both didn't know the seriousness of it at that point. She told me to get a bag ready for her and she asked me to go and feed the kids as she hadn't been able to get out of bed. "As I left the room, the last thing she said to me was 'Ben, I'm scared.' I came downstairs and left the front door open for the ambulance. I started dinner and I spent about 25 to 30 minutes getting everything ready for them. "Whilst I was doing this, I was checking the door, and no one was arriving. I went upstairs to tell her they hadn't arrived and that's when I found her slumped, not breathing. I phoned 999 straight away and they told me to give her CPR." Ben continued the CPR until the emergency services arrived - whilst his children walked into the room. He said: "They're crying and they know what's going on now. I did CPR for nearly an hour and finally a first responder turned up and he casually walked in - there was no urgency. He took over and within about two or three minutes, four ambulances turned up, seven police officers, it was jam packed. "But it was far too late - it was nearly two hours. I took my children to the neighbours. I sat in the kitchen for another 30 minutes and then the paramedics came downstairs and said there's been a catastrophic incident and that she'd passed away. "The police then held me downstairs for four hours to rule out foul play - they essentially said they had to rule out that I hadn't killed her. I had to give a statement over and over again - six times. Police then left and the paramedics said to wait for the coroner - I had to wait on my own for two hours for the coroner with my wife dead in the bed." Ben has now appointed a solicitor to begin a claim against the NHS for the delays. He said: "The letter from the East of England Ambulance Service said it was classed as a certain type of a response, and it should've been 28 minutes. When the East of England Ambulance Service - @sunz_out_guz_out