Ref. 29046-21LISA Hawkes has put the hotel she ran with her late husband, Maurice, for 11 years up for sale.

The Jesmond House Hotel in Highworth is on the market for £700,000.

Mrs Hawkes, 38, who is also a Conservative councillor on Swindon Council, said: "The place just isn't the same without Maurice. One of my customers called it the end of an era."

The 16th century grade II listed building has 12 bedrooms, mostly en suite. A pub, conservatory res-taurant, beer garden and three bedroom owner's accommodation are included in the business package, which generates annual profits of £135,259.

Mrs Hawkes, who left Colorado to live with Maurice in Swindon 13 years ago, has no plans to return to her America.

She said: "This is my home now. I received 200 sympathy cards. Everyone has been wonderful. Without their support I don't know how I would have kept going."

Mr Hawkes, 63, a much-loved Swindon entrepreneur, died suddenly at his home last month.

A post mortem revealed he had suffered a heart attack.

Mrs Hawkes described the loss as "like having a leg chopped off".

In 1990 Mr Hawkes suffered a near fatal brain haemorrhage which left him in a coma for six weeks.

Ironically that gave him a new lease of life. He took a holiday to Colorado to convalesce and met Lisa, then a young actress, at an Independence Day party.

Although at 25 she was half his age, Lisa, who had already appeared in Die Hard 2 and had her sights set on Hollywood, fell for him immediately.

Mr Hawkes, who grew up in Wroughton, proposed and they married exactly a year after they met.

Although Mrs Hawkes is in no hurry to sell the hotel, she is considering different careers.

She has taken compassionate leave from her council duties until June but is looking at applying for the position of South Swindon MP, currently held by Julia Drown.

She said: "Front of house is my sort of work and I love helping the public."

Returning to college and taking a masters in urban planning also appeals to her.

And Mrs Hawkes isn't ruling out a return to the big screen.

She said: "I am keeping my options open.

"At university I was told I would never be an actress, but I managed it. I'm toying with lots of ideas at the moment."

Victoria Tagg