Tributes have been paid to Robert Gardner, who died on 29 August, 2008, aged 28, after collapsing in a swimming pool while on holiday in Greece.

Mr Gardner’s devastated partner, Tina Dudley, has described him as a fun-loving and devoted father who would do “anything for anybody”.

Tina, from Fenton, Staffordshire, saw Mr Gardner collapse in a swimming pool and sink to the bottom. Despite frantic efforts to drag him to safety and try to resuscitate him, she and her family were unable to save his life.

Tina spoke of how she and their two young daughters were trying to cope with the huge hole in their lives.

Tasha, aged 10, and seven-year-old Chloe had also been at the poolside in Kalimaki, on the island of Zante, when their father died.

They had arrived just four hours earlier, hoping to enjoy a holiday with Tina’s mother and stepfather, who lived in Greece. Tina’s brother and his wife had also joined them for the sunshine break.

Tina, aged 32, said: “When we got there, we had a sleep and then went to the pool. We all got in the pool and Rob was doing handstands.

“He turned his back and then just sank. I thought he was playing at first. My step-dad, Trevor, jumped in and pulled him out. Rob was blue.

“Everybody was trying to resuscitate him and we thought he was breathing, but he wasn’t. He never regained consciousness. It was about half-an-hour before the ambulance came and took him to Zante town hospital.

“The last words he said to me were that he was looking forward to playing bingo that night. Rob had been physically fit and hadn’t had any problems before. He was epileptic, but that was the only thing.”

Robert’s mother Anita Smith, who used to live in Penkhull, but now lives in Northamptonshire, said: “All we know is he died instantly and wouldn’t have known what was happening. He died before he got to the bottom of the pool.

“It’s been awful for all of us. Robert’s children were his life. Everything he did, he did for Tina and the children.”

Tina was initially told by the British Consulate that it could take up to six weeks for her partner’s body to be flown home. She and the girls decided to stay on in Greece with relatives until the holiday was due to end.

But when they returned to England, they discovered Robert’s body had been flown back without their knowledge. The flight had been arranged by the insurance company.

Just weeks before his death, Mr Gardner had been made redundant from his job as a fork lift truck driver at Stoke-on-Trent firm Don Bur.

Colleagues from Don Bur, and from the pub football team he played for, have now held a collection in aid of his family.

Mr Gardner played on an 11-a-side team for Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in Stoke, and was also a keen fan of both Stoke City and Chelsea.

Tina said: “He loved his football and going to the pub with his friends. He was always telling jokes. Everybody loved Rob.”