A DEVASTATED woman has told how her poorly husband's last holiday with her was cancelled - as they sat in a plane on the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport, ready for take-off.

Claire Potter said she and her husband Steve, 52, who suffers from a rare head cancer and was given only months to live last year, were set to go on a fortnight's cruise around the Med after his condition had 'miraculously' stabilised.

"You can imagine our shock, surprise and jubilation when his consultant at York Hospital said he could go," said Claire, 54, of Leavening, near Malton.

She said they arrived four hours early at the airport on Friday to give themselves plenty of time to get through check-in and security, and faced several hours of delays before they eventually got on the Tui plane.

"When we were met with the challenges of Leeds Airport we didn't care," she said.

"It was so important to be finally making this holiday, which we see as my husband's last trip, and we had friends going out too from Doncaster to join us on the cruise."

But then as they waited for clearance for take-off, the pilot came on the speakers to tell passengers that a red light had come on, indicating a fault, and they needed to disembark.

"Obviously, it was better than if it had come on in the air but you can imagine how we felt," she said.

They then went back through passport control and retrieved their luggage, with the only staff at the airport able to help being the police and an airport manager. "Even the police told me they were disgusted."

Hours later, she received an email from Tui cancelling the holiday.

"It's devastating," she said.

She said they were originally going to go on holiday in May 2020 but it had to be cancelled because of Covid.

"Like many others' holidays, this had to change several times," she said. "I left my money with TUI but last year, when Steve was given months to live after living with the rare head cancer, I planned to cancel the holiday but didn't have the strength to do it.

"Six months later he is still here, the cancer has suddenly stabilised and his consultant's words were: "You are a miracle."

She said the doctor had joked: "You can go on one condition - that I can come too."

She said they had now re-booked with Tui to fly out on Friday from Newcastle to Corfu, so as to catch up with the ship and their friends in mid-cruise, and at least enjoy a week's cruising around the Med. "The Tui store staff were as helpful as they could be, as clearly there is too much red tape."

Tui were unavailable for comment.