The widow of an SAS military hero killed herself after watching the Remembrance Day service on TV, an inquest heard.

Joanna McAleese, 49, was found dead alongside a photo of her late husband John, who was involved in the storming of the Iranian Embassy in 1980.

The inquest heard Joanna, of Brecon, was also grieving for her soldier stepson Paul McAleese who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2009.

Joanna was working in a supermarket in the town when she was hit by depression as Remembrance Day approached last year.

Her friend and flatmate Monica Golwacka told the hearing: “She had spread pictures of her husband and son on the table in the conservatory.

“She was upset and drinking red wine - she asked me to join her to watch the service of remembrance on TV.”

The inquest heard Joanna left her flat to have a tattoo of a lily on her left shoulder.

Ms Golwacka said: “When I saw her later she was just staring at the photos. I asked her if she was Ok and she said all was good.”

Grandmother Joanna failed to turn up to work and her body was found by dog walker Richard Lynch the day after Remembrance Sunday.

The inquest heard Mr Lynch noticed that horses were “spooked” on Pen y Crug mountain near Brecon and he could see a white object on the ground.

He went to investigate and found the body of Mrs McAleese who was wearing a headscarf and winter hat.

Mr Lynch told police: “There was a picture of a man in a military uniform next to her body, along with some pills and a wine box.

“It had been Remembrance Sunday the previous day and I thought it was possible she may have committed suicide.”

The court heard Mrs McAleese had been the victim of a sexual assault in the months leading up to her death.

She was being treated for depression and alcohol abuse and was upset that her alleged attacker had been released from police custody.

Her GP Dr Anthony Morgan told the hearing in a written statement: “There was a history of alcohol problems involving the death of her husband and stepson.”

The court heard ex SAS Staff Sgt John McAleese died of natural causes in Greece in 2011. He had a distinguished army career was awarded the Military Medal and went on to act as bodyguard for three Prime Ministers.

His son Paul was serving with the Green Jackets when he was killed by an IED in Helmand Province in August 2009.

The inquest, in Pontypridd, heard Joanna was very close to her stepson and “struggled” to come to terms with his death.

She was being treated by the Community Health Team in Brecon but cancelled an appointment to see a psychiatrist in the weeks before her death.

The inquest heard she had told a health professional she wanted to "have fun, go dancing and buy a camper van to go travelling in".

But five days before her death on November 12 she sent a text to a mental health worker saying she was very low.

Nurse Carol Jones told the hearing: “She said she was having horrific dreams and finding things harder to deal with.

“Remembrance Sunday was coming up, it was a painful time for her because she had lost her husband and stepson in the armed forces.”

The cause of death was given as mixed drug toxicity.

Assistant Powys Coroner Rachel Knight said: “It is clear that Joanna had suffered some terrible tragedies in her life which had gone on to affect her mental health greatly.

“But I’m sure she was loved and is greatly missed.

“Joanna suffered with mental health difficulties through most of her adult life and had struggled to deal with losing loved ones and a recent sexual assault.

“That day it was her intention to take her own life so the conclusion is one of suicide.”

Joanna’s daughter Jessica Savage told the hearing that her mother and stepfather John had an "on-off" relationship.

She said her half-brother Paul died while serving with the Green Jackets in Afghanistan.

She said in a written statement: "My mother took it very badly and struggled to come to terms with his death.

"Two years later my father passed away which led to a further deterioration.

"Some of her school friends had taken their own lives which I believe contributed to her state of mind."

The inquest heard Joanna, who was originally from the SAS HQ town of Hereford, was binge drinking because of the break down of her family and loss of her home.

She previously attempted suicide in 2011 when she was found on the banks of the River Usk near Brecon.

The inquest heard Joanna had worked for the Aldi supermarket chain but had left after complaining that she was being bullied and made to lift crates of bread too heavy for her.

Her family knew that she would always "go downhill" before Remembrance Sunday every year.