Article excerpt

GAUNT-faced and ravaged by anorexia, four-stone Lena Zavaroni is a pitiful sight as she returns from the shops.

This haunting picture was taken in the last months of the singer’s life before she gambled on brain surgery to cure her affliction.

The treatment worked so well that afterwards she tucked into her first meal in 22 years, leaving tearful boyfriend Ray Dexter so confident of the future he prposed marriage.

Then, by a cruel twist of fate, the 35-year-old star developed a fatal blood infection. Yesterday Ray, 49, raged: “It’s so unjust. We all thought this would be a new beginning, the end of Lena’s pain.

“But there was another time-bomb ticking away inside her. After winning her battle, she was killed by something we hadn’t predicted.”

Driven to the brink by depression and anorexia Lena underwent a risky keyhole lobotomy.

After the operation, she felt well enough to plan for the future. Then, for the first time in 22 years, she tucked in to a full-scale meal of roast beef and potatoes.

Singer Ray said: “It was the most wonderful, emotionally charged moment. It was the first time Lena had ever eaten in front of me and she cleaned her plate….

The Mirror Article By Smith, Justine; Turner, Lucy ← broken link :disappointed: