My bloke slept in his car for two months to be with me after I was burned alive

Marilyn was having one last cigarette and cup of tea before turning in for the night. Her partner of three years Ricky was already in bed. She lit the cigarette and popped the lighter in her dressing gown pocket. But there was a fault with the lighter and it sparked in her pocket. Seconds later she was engulfed in fire – her velvet dressing gown had exploded into flames.

Ricky heard her screams, but he’d taken his prosthetic leg off. He hopped across their flat and into the kitchen. He leapt onto her, rolling her over and over to put out the flames –he was badly burned too.
He managed to reach a phone and called 999 and they were both rushed to a specialist burns unit.
Marilyn’s burns were horrific, she’d suffered 40 per cent burns, her torso, face, arms and even her breasts had been terribly burned. She wasn’t expected to live.

Ricky had saved her life but was in hospital for two weeks. When he was released his hands were still bandaged and he couldn’t drive. They lived 30 miles from the hospital and he knew he couldn’t leave Marilyn. So he camped in their car in the hospital car park for SIX WEEKS until Marilyn was out of danger.
Marilyn was horrified at her appearance, told Ricky he should walk away from her. But he told her he loved her more than ever. They’d met when they were neighbours in London. Both had given up hope of finding love and happiness again, but it had clicked and they’d moved to their flat to make a fresh start – then this had happened.
Months of agonising skin grafts followed. Doctors also took muscle from her legs and skin from her belly to reconstruct her breast.
When Marilyn was finally released from hospital she was a shadow of herself. She’s lost the use of her left arm and has been left with terrible scars. But Ricky doesn’t see that. He rubs the special cream into her scars three times a day. He says she’s the most beautiful woman alive and is just grateful she’s still with him.
Marilyn, who’s 55, said: “I still can’t believe that my dressing gown burned me alive. If it wasn’t for Ricky and his devotion I wouldn’t be alive now.”