The family of a diabetic woman have spoken of their shock at her death while attending a slapping therapy workshop at a country hotel.

Danielle Carr-Gomm, 71, died at Cleeve House in Seend, Wiltshire, on October 20 where she was taking part in a workshop to help her battle with diabetes.

The workshop was understood to involve controversial paida lajin therapy, which sees patients being slapped or slapping themselves repeatedly.

Wiltshire Police are investigating her death and three people - two men, aged 53 and 51, and a 64-year-old woman - were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and later released on bail.

Her family said that Mrs Carr-Gomm, from Lewes, was "desperate" to cure herself of the disease and embraced alternative and holistic medicine and therapies.

The French-born pensioner, who moved to the UK when she was 21, was diagnosed with diabetes in 1999 and because of a life-long fear of needles struggled to inject insulin.

Her son, Matthew Carr-Gomm, who lives in New Zealand, said: "As a family, I remember we always had amazing holidays, visiting Peru and Sri Lanka amongst many other places, including Bulgaria, where we made many friends and visited several times a year.

"Mum was diagnosed with diabetes in 1999 and was very ill at the time. She began taking insulin that year and documented this ever since. She had a lifelong fear of needles so she struggled with the diagnosis and initially took a course of tablets instead.

"She was always keen to try and find alternative methods of treating and dealing with her diabetes and was very interested in alternative and holistic medicine and therapies.

"I know she was desperate to try and cure herself of this disease. She always maintained a healthy lifestyle and was adamant that nothing would stop her from living a full life.

"In recent years, mum was in a great place with a partner, a lovely home, and was travelling the world. She had a lot of life left in her.

"Her death has come as a huge shock to us all and we are grateful of the support we have received from Wiltshire Police and the kind messages we have received from family and friends at this really difficult time."

Police said the results of a post-mortem examination had proved inconclusive and further tests were being carried out. An inquest into her death was opened and adjourned last week.

In a previous blog entry, Mrs Carr-Gomm described attending a lajin course in Bulgaria and said "the results are totally astonishing and encouraging".

"After an initial sharing we began with administering paida on ourselves and on others in pairs or groups of three," she said. "At the end of the first session large areas of my body were bruised and blue which indicated that a lot of 'sha' or poisoned blood and toxins had been released."