According to friend, a fitness extremist murdered his wife of just 3 years before killing himself in his parents' garden after the couple ran into marital difficulties.

James Barnes, 32,  who was interested in bodybuilding, attacked neonatal nurse Amy, 32, at the marital home, police believe.

Moments before carrying out the perceptible murder-suicide, Mr Barnes had posted a picture of the he & his wife walking through a shower of confetti following their May 2014 marriage ceremony.

Friends yesterday portrayed Mr Barnes as a 'lovely guy' - but one said he had admitted the couple had been going through a 'difficult patch'.

Paramedics who were called to a bungalow belonging to Barnes's parents, Vivien, 68, & Robert Barnes, 72, in wealthy Streetly, West Midlands, raised the alarm with police after failing to stimulate the graduate.

Police found Mrs Barnes, 32, around 40 minutes later at the couple's newly-built property in Rednal, on the other side of Birmingham.

The couple had been living on the new estate, close to the site of the old MG Rover factory, for around 5 years, but it wasn’t clear whether Barnes had already moved out before the apparent murder-suicide.