Maurice and Helen Kaye, Britain's longest-married couple, are finally parted

Maurice and Helen Kaye were preparing to celebrate their 84th wedding anniversary when Mr Kaye fell ill and died, aged 106.

He leaves behind his 105-year-old widow, who has since moved into a care home as she couldn't face living in their Bournemouth flat alone.

Although he was in his 107th year, Mr Kaye's death was said to have been unexpected. Only six weeks ago the pair had attended their grandson's wedding in London.

But he became ill last month, was admitted to hospital and died with his family at his bedside.

His daughter, Tina Son, 63, said her mother feels like she has lost a limb.

She said: "He was 106 and everybody said they thought he was going to go on forever as he was the most amazing man and was quite fit for his age.

"He and my mother came to London for my son's wedding just five or six weeks ago.

"But in the last 10 days of his life he became very poorly very suddenly.

"He was taken to hospital and although he did rally a bit, in the last four or five days it was quite clear that he was coming to the end of his life.

"My mother isn't too bad, but she feels sad and lonely and feels like she has lost a limb.

"They had been married for almost 84 years but they had been together for 88 years from when they first started going out. It is a very long time to be with someone and then they are not there anymore.

"She has moved to a residential care home because she didn't want to be sat in the flat by herself thinking about him all of the time. There are people she knows in the home and she can have a bit of a life.

"They moved to the flat 15 years ago when they were aged 90 and 91. At the time we said to them they were mad moving at their age but they had 15 very happy years living there."

Mr Kaye grew up in east London and Mrs Kaye moved to England from Warsaw, Poland, when she was six.

The couple met in 1930 when Mr Kaye, an 18-year-old travelling salesman, saw his future wife while she worked at her father's womenswear business in London. They were married on August 27, 1934, in a London Synagogue.

Mr Kaye joined the army when war was declared in 1939, but was given compassionate leave in 1944 when their home was bombed. His comrades went to Normandy and he later learned the entire detachment had all been killed.

After the war, the couple moved to Bournemouth and owned and ran a chain of five womenswear shops.

In their retirement they played bridge and spent time with their two children, Tina and Larry, 70, their 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Mr Kaye had a flying lesson for his 90th birthday.

At the time of their 80th wedding anniversary in 2014 Mrs Kaye said: "It's been a wonderful marriage – if I knew they secret to a happy marriage I would bottle it and sell it."