A 20-year-old cook found motionless in bed by her boyfriend as he went to give her a kiss died as a result of natural causes, a coroner has ruled.

Kirsty-Lee Bould was staying with her partner Nathan Ellis at his flat in Glentworth Gardens, Whitmore Reans, in January this year.

Mr Ellis got out of bed and when he returned to the room minutes later, he discovered Miss Bould was not breathing.

He tried to resuscitate his girlfriend of almost two years, but she later died at New Cross Hospital, the inquest held at Wolverhampton Coroner’s Court heard yesterday.

Assistant deputy coroner Angus Smillie ruled that Miss Bould died of natural causes.

He said she had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. A post mortem showed that Miss Bould had suffered heart failure, either as a result of a viral infection or from a severe allergic reaction.

Mr Ellis, who gave evidence at the inquest, said: “I got out of bed and left the room to go to the toilet. I went over to the bed to give Kirsty a kiss and was going to put the kettle on.

“I found her not breathing. I had only been out the room just over a minute.”

Mr Ellis told the inquest he tried to resuscitate Miss Bould and called for an ambulance.

Miss Bould’s mother Joanne told the inquest she could not understand how her daughter’s death had been linked to a possible severe allergic reaction.

“She was one of the most pickiest eaters around,” Mrs Bould said. “She would never try anything new. She used to cook but let everyone else try the food.”

Miss Bould worked in the kitchens at the Summer House pub in Whitmore Reans.

She had attended St Nicholas Primary School, Codsall Middle School and then Codsall Community High School.

After leaving high school in 2006, she completed a hairdressing course at Wolverhampton College and had worked at the Village Hair Studio in Codsall.

But she wanted a new career and returned to the college where was doing a National Diploma in catering, and was scheduled to finish this year.

Mr Smillie said: “There were no underlying conditions or medical problems. The cause of death was a sudden cardiac death. It was death from natural causes.”