Army captain David Seath who died in London Marathon had asked girlfriend's father for permission to propose

Captain David Seath with his girlfriend 29-year-old Gabrielle Schoenenberger
Hatty Collier1 May 2016

The girlfriend of an army captain who died after collapsing during the London Marathon has told of her heartbreak after discovering he planned to propose to her.

Afghanistan veteran and Green Beret David Seath, 31, died in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest near the 23-mile mark of the race, which he was running to raise money for wounded soldiers.

His partner Gaby Schoenenberger, 29, has told of how she learned just hours later that Mr Seath, who was an officer in the 29 Commando Regiment, part of the Royal Artillery, had asked her father for his blessing during a family holiday at Easter.

Edinburgh based fashion designer Ms Schoenenberger told the Sunday Times: "I feel as though I've died inside, just heartbroken. He was everything to me. It is desperately unfair, we had so much to look forward to.

“David was being posted to Afghanistan in July this year for seven months and he was intending on proposing when he got back but he wanted to make sure, to check it with my dad.

Tribute: GabySchoenenberger left a message of thanks for the money raised in memory of her partner Captain David Seath
MoD/PA Wire

"I never wanted to freak him out by talking about marriage but it was obvious for us that we were heading that way.

“It shows that, without me ever saying anything, he knew how important it would be to me that he ask my dad's permission. That's just David, he was such a gentleman."

Ms Schoenenberger said that Mr Seath had asked her father to tell her about his plan to propose, if anything happened to him in Afghanistan, and that she would have said yes "in a moment".

The couple met in late 2014 after being set up by a mutual friend and had their first date in Exeter – an indoor picnic in front of Ms Schoenenberger’s favourite film Jurassic Park.

On the day of the race, she was waiting to cheer on her partner at the 25-mile mark near to Embankment Underground station but after four hours he had still not appeared.

After receiving a call from a nurse at St Thomas’ Hospital, a paramedic offered her a lift to the hospital and when she arrived there Mr Seath was on a life support machine.

Doctors told her they had worked on Mr Seath - who had no history of cardiac illness - for a long time but that there was nothing more they could do.

Ms Schoenenberger added: "That's what I don't understand. He was so fit, he'd go out for just a casual 15-mile run and wouldn't even be red in the face."

Since Mr Seath’s death, more than £170,000 has been raised for his chosen charity Help for Heroes, in his memory.

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