A "deeply caring" physiotherapist stabbed herself after becoming stressed with work and home improvements, an inquest was told.

Kathryn Dobson, 46, died at the Royal London Hospital on April 17 after five weeks in intensive care.

Emergency services were called to her house in Sandpit Lane on March 10 after she stabbed herself with a kitchen knife.

Hertfordshire Coroner's Court heard Mrs Dobson had been taking antidepressants after suffering from low self esteem and anxiety.

She was also experiencing panic attacks, related to building work going on at her St Albans home and stress at work.

Hertfordshire Coroner Edward Thomas read out a statement from her husband which said: "Kathryn was a lovely, gentle, kind and deeply caring person with a beautiful welcoming smile."

Mr Thomas said: "She always wanted everything to be just right for everybody."

Mrs Dobson had been at home with her husband Philip, who described his wife as being "out of sorts" on March 10.

He believed she was decorating a bedroom and when he called out and she did not answer he went downstairs and found her collapsed on the floor.

The court heard Mr Dobson did "whatever he could" to save his wife.

Mrs Dobson was taken by air ambulance to hospital.

The inquest heard Mrs Dobson had told her GP about her low mood, which had got worse due to the building work at her home.

She had stopped practising as a physiotherapist because she was not concentrating and was suffering from panic attacks.

The court heard a letter was found from Mrs Dobson, which praised her husband but did not mention any intention to take her own life.

Mr Thomas said: "Building work had taken a toll on her but also she felt she wasn’t as good as she really was. She had low self esteem. Whatever she felt low self esteem for was contrary to what people thought about her.

"Mr Dobson, you did so much to try and save her. Your actions that day were commendable.

"The support you gave her was tremendous. She had a very caring, loving family throughout.

"She was very good at her job. The sadness of her death of all that knew her is incalculable."

He concluded Mrs Dobson died from a self inflicted penetrating injury while the balance of her mind was disturbed.

He added: "She was a lady who wanted everything to be just right and there were things at the time that she felt others were not right.

"When you have panic attacks in a way you are not in control. I think if she was calm doing this as an act of suicide she would have written something a bit different. I just have a feeling of that. She wasn’t Kate."