An inspirational cancer blogger whose illness was first diagnosed as gout has lost his battle aged just 35.

Chris Cowley first went to the doctors with what he thought was a sporting injury, but was told that he had gout.

But the father-of-two spotted a lump on his ankle in October 2015, and went back to the doctors who identified it as a cancerous tumor.

On Christmas Eve 2015 doctors told Chris he had Ewing's sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer.

He received treatment for the aggressive disease and his leg was amputated last year, but he was so determined that he was walking with a prosthetic limb within months.

He was cancer-free in November last year, but within a few weeks more tumours appeared and Chris was told there was no cure.

Chris died on Tuesday, October 10 and is survived by his wife Becky, 36, and their two children, Lily, nine, and Sam, three.

The couple shared their experiences online, inspired people to raise money and received messages from strangers with cancer saying Chris had helped them.

Chris, from Orrell, Great Mancs., also spent 12 months being filmed for a Channel 4 programme, which will be broadcast next week.

Becky, who lives in Orrell, said: "He was a really good guy. He was really genuine and really loyal and really fun.

"He was hilariously funny. I don't think anyone has ever made me laugh as much as he could and I don't think anyone will again.

"He was really friendly. He wasn't an expert in lots of subjects, but he would be able to find something you were interested in really quickly and have a conversation with it.

"He was the best dad. He was also a really great uncle.

"He was a hands-on dad and would get down and join tea parties with Lily when she was little."

Chris was a keen sportsman and supported Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors while playing the sport at an amateur level.

Chris was keen to help others and took on several physical challenges to raise money for charities, including the Great North Run twice, a triathlon and a coast to coast bike ride.

Becky said: "He liked to challenge himself and push himself to see what he could achieve.

"If he hadn't got poorly, he would have done an Ironman triathlon, I have no doubt.

"He first went to the doctors because he had swelling in his ankle after a game of rugby league.

"The tumor was there all along, but it would have been near impossible to diagnose as it was giving off the symptoms of gout.

"It would have taken a bone cancer expert to spot it on the x-ray they took. But even if they had, the tumor on his ankle was just the tip of the iceberg."

Only 75 people in the UK are diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma year and it is usually found in children.

Chris had 14 rounds of chemotherapy in 2016 and his leg was amputated that May.

Becky said: "That was tough going because it was quite an aggressive chemotherapy drug they used. He had to stay in hospital for three nights to have it.

"He finished that and there was no evidence of disease in November last year.

"Because he was so competitive, he challenged himself to make sure he was walking by Christmas.

"He was actually walking unaided on a prosthetic within three or four months of his amputation. They couldn't believe it. He was so determined."

Chris walked out of hospital, but just a few weeks later he started getting pain in his back.

Scans showed he had a tumour in his back, as well as two in his lung.

He was given the devastating news that he had secondary cancer and might have two years to live, if doctors could get it under control.

Chris had more chemotherapy from January to June which caused the tumours to shrink, before deciding to take a break in the summer to spend time with his loved ones.

He and Becky renewed their wedding vows, they went on holiday to Spain with friends and had quality time as a family.

The chemotherapy treatment resumed in September, but Chris had a reaction to it and developed an infection, so he decided not have any more.

Chris died in hospital on Tuesday, October 10, with Becky at his side.

Becky shared the family's experiences on her blog, Diary Of A Fat Bottomed Girl, as well as videos on Facebook and YouTube and an upcommin documentary on Channel 4.

Becky said: "He thought if he could help one person, raise some money through that, he would be happy to do it.

"Channel 4 filmed Chris through his treatment, filmed us at home, things like that, for nearly 12 months."

Becky and Chris were given a preview of the show over the summer. She said it was "hard to watch" but they hoped it would raise a lot of money for charity.

Named Fighting Cancer: My Online Diary, it will be broadcast on Channel 4 at 10.50pm on Thursday, October 26.