A monster husband who strangled his wife as their young daughters slept upstairs did it in a jealous rage because she planned to leave him over his abuse, her heartbroken family have revealed.

Isobella Knight, 32, was choked to death by Paul Knight at the home they shared together in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, on June 13 last year, after telling him she had had enough of his controlling behaviour and bullying.

The morning after killing Izzy - as she was fondly known by friends - Knight asked his mother to babysit their two children before making a botched attempt to kill himself, crashing his car in a McDonald's.

This week Knight, 36, finally admitted murdering Izzy and was told he can expect a life sentence at his next court appearance.

After his guilty plea Tim Davies, Izzy's father, said she had suffered years of mental and verbal abuse at the hands of Knight - and had finally told him that the marriage was over when he killed her.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Davies said: 'She suffered from his controlling behaviour and verbal and psychological abuse, particularly over the last few years.

'She told him that she wanted to split, and they had come to an agreement on how to handle things for the benefit of the kids. Izzy made it clear that she'd had enough.'

Mr Davies, 58, revealed that what has added to the family's heartache is that she never shared her marriage woes with them, and they only discovered the truth after her death.

Isobella Knight, 32, was choked to death by Paul Knight at the home they shared together in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, on June 13 last year

The morning after killing Izzy - as she was fondly known by friends - Knight asked his mother to babysit their two children before making a botched attempt to kill himself

This week Knight, 36, finally admitted murdering Izzy and was told he can expect a life sentence at his next court appearance

Police outside the house in Donnington Road, Burton Latimer, where Isobella Knight died

'She never told me her troubles and that's hard for me to take,' he said. 'She discussed it with some of her close friends, but we only found out about the domestic pressure she was under after her killing.

'The truth about her marriage really shocked me and this has added to the emotional trauma the whole family has been going through.'

Izzy's sister Georgia, added: 'We only found out the truth about her marriage afterwards and it was a huge shock.

'Izzy was my best friend, we spoke every day, but she never told me anything about the abusive behaviour she was suffering because she wanted to protect the family. She was a lovely sister and one of the most caring, selfless and loving people you could meet.'

Mr Davies revealed that Izzy's two daughters, aged six and three, are now being cared for by her mother Helena and her partner David, who have become their legal guardians.