A woman whose fight against cancer was an inspiration to others has lost her battle against the disease.

Ann Rose died last night at The Martlets Hospice, Hove, after being admitted a month ago. Her relatives were with her.

Her death comes just 24 hours before she was due to make her final public appearance at Grease at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, tonight.

The theatre had agreed to stage its first charity performance of a show in aid of her fund for cancer research.

Mrs Rose, 55, of Third Avenue, Hove, was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer 13 years ago.

But she vowed to fight back by raising money to fund research after being treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Surrey.

With husband Tony, she founded the Ann Rose Monte Cancer Challenge which has raised more than £300,000.

The charity's patron was BBC television Sally Taylor, who survived her own personal battle with breast cancer.

Miss Taylor said today: "I am very sorry to hear that Ann has died. It was a privilege to know her."

The money Ann raised has been given to the Institute of Cancer Research.

Professor Mike Stratton, one of the Institute's leading scientists, said: "I have known Ann for five years. She was a very special person.

"She helped to raise more than £300,000 to fund the vital work that we do here, despite the fact that she was not at all a well person when we first met her."

Mrs Rose had already overcome two major traumas in her life when she was told 13 years ago that she had breast cancer.

Her four-month-old daughter had died suddenly at the start of the Seventies, and in 1984 she survived a crash between her car and a bus which left her permanently disabled.

Her charity took its name from the Monte Carlo Rally in which husband Tony has regularly entered his classic MG sports car to raise money.

He pulled out of the rally this year when scans at the Royal Marsden revealed that his wife had developed a brain tumour.

Ann and Tony were both recognised for their work in raising money for cancer research and last year both were made Fellows of the Institute of Cancer Research, an honour usually only given to top scientists.

Mrs Rose was admitted to The Martlets the following day after doctors discovered that she had little more than a month left to live.

Her funeral will take place at the Jewish Cemetery which is part of Hove Cemetery North, in Old Shoreham Road, Hove, on Thursday at 2pm.