AS MOURNERS gather to remember the life of former Newport West MP Paul Flynn today, his wife of 33 years has paid her own tribute.

Paul and Samantha Flynn were married on January 31, 1985, and spent 34 years together until his death last month.

With Mr Flynn's funeral to be held at St Woolos Cathedral, Mrs Flynn remembered her husband as "a proud Welsh-speaking Welshman who loved people and his books".

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"Of course, he loved his family and friends, but, less obviously, he genuinely loved Newport," she said.

"As a Cardiff-born interloper, he gloried in promoting our visitor attractions as though they were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

"I pointed out that we native Newport people tend to be a tad modest about our city treasures.

"He decided to find this inexplicable, but charming."

South Wales Argus:

Paul and Samantha Flynn on the night he was first elected as MP for Newport West, June 11, 1987. Picture: Patrick Garbutt

She said Mr Flynn was "never satisfied that he had done enough", and highlighted his campaigning on the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use in his later years

"Many considered him a crackpot when he first raised the subject of medicinal cannabis - possibly they thought he had been testing the merchandise to ease his rheumatoid arthritis," she said.

"Nothing could be further from the truth.

"Until the final phases of his illness he denied himself all pain relief – legal or otherwise.

"The law has yet to catch up with current public opinion, but change will come.

"Others will benefit from his unselfish, tireless work."

South Wales Argus:

Paul Flynn, with Samantha Flynn, celebrating being re-elected as MP for Newport West for the seventh time on June 8, 2017.

And Mrs Flynn said there was "no flip switch between the MP and the person".

"He was always inquisitive, always funny, and always on duty," she said.

"As an MP, he could, where necessary, turn up the gravitas dial. In committee, he was at his awesome best, fiercely interrogating the big beasts of politics and big pharma.

"He could also draw out and reassure the quiet or vulnerable individuals who might have felt like lambs in a bear pit.

"At home, we were subjected to wall to wall news and documentaries. Gogglebox was a guilty treat, but it lost its charm when the lovely Leon died. Similarly, The Great British Bake Off got the thumbs-down once Newport’s very own John the baker was outrageously sacked."

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She added her husband was "a hero, but no angel".

"The common niceties, like sending cards or buying presents were largely unknown to him." she said.

"He might have taken a dirty cup to the kitchen at some stage in our marriage, but I couldn’t swear to it.

"He was happy to leave me with the small decisions, like where we would live, where we would holiday, where the kids went to school.

"The big decisions I left to him - should we recognise the Catalan referendum for independence?"

Reflecting on the messages she had received since her husband's death, Mrs Flynn said he would have "delighted in the magnificent tributes paid over the past weeks".

"He has been described as an exceptional politician, and thoroughly decent human being," she said. "Stories of his courage, kindness and generosity of spirit emerge daily.

"This is how he will be remembered and I believe he would be very happy with that."

Paul Flynn's funeral will be held at St Woolos Cathedral from 11am today, Friday, March 22.