DEVOTED husband Wayne Rogers has paid tribute to his “lovely wife” Christine after she passed away at the weekend.

Christine Rogers was aged just 30 when she died on Saturday morning at her home in Boscombe with her husband Wayne and mum Marilyn by her side.

The film and musical theatre buff had been ill for many years.

She was born with a hole in her heart and then in her late teens she contracted aspergillosis - a fungal infection which attacked her lungs.

At the time she was told that there was nothing doctors could do for her and eventually it would take her life.

She met husband Wayne, now 29, not long after she found out about her diagnosis.

“I was working at Clarks shoe store in Castlepoint and she used to come in as a customer with her mum,” said Wayne.

“Whenever I saw her come into the store I used to drop everything so I could go and talk to her.

“Even then I knew she was the one for me.”

But it took the pair several months of chatter in the ladies shoes department before Christine summoned the courage to ask Wayne out for her 21st birthday party.

A few days after the party the couple went on their first date together and according to Wayne - who was just 20 at the time - they have been together ever since.

The pair got married in 2011 and despite Christine’s illness - which meant she needed oxygen tanks to help with her breathing - they were just normal newlyweds.

But sadly in 2013 Christine suffered her first stroke after a prolonged period of coughing up blood.

According to Wayne she “went downhill slightly after that” but was eventually able to recover from it quite well.

Unfortunately a year later Christine suffered a mini stroke - known as a TIA - and then the following year she had another episode of coughing up blood which was also believed to have caused another very mild stroke.

It was at that point Wayne made the decision to quit his job at Bowlplex and care for Christine full-time.

“I knew that for however long we had left I wanted to spend every single moment with her,” said Wayne.

“But I also knew that she would probably need full time care from then on.”

For the last two years the pair have made sure to do things they enjoy together including day trips, crafting and cinema excursions.

“She never let her illness get in the way of her doing the things she enjoyed,” said Wayne.

“Christine was a lovely person who touched the lives of so many people.

“She loved Disney movies and musicals and we like to think she’s up there now in her very own West End stage show.”

For Wayne, he now faces the struggle of what to do next.

“Being with and taking care of Christine has been my life since I was 20-years-old,” he added.

“Who knows what I will do now but I do know that I will never regret my decision to become her carer as it meant we were able to spend her last years just the two of us.”