Describing his daughter as “the most wonderful girl in the world”, boxing commentator Jim Watt said that she became depressed following a lumbar puncture last year which left her in agonising pain and unable to eat or sleep properly.

Michelle, a mother-of-one, had the surgery to test for problems affecting her brain which had caused headaches and blackouts.

The 38-year-old former 60 Minute Makeover host was found dead at her home in Airth, near Falkirk last week.

Mr Watt – whose son died in a car crash 20 years ago – told the Scottish Sun: “She was in constant pain and wasn’t sleeping. It knocked the stuffing out of her.

“Her appetite went and the weight was falling off her. She had no enthusiasm – she didn’t want to see anyone or go anywhere. The spark just went. She just ceased to be Michelle.”

Mr Watt, a former lightweight world champion, said the problems “compounded into a deep depression”, with his daughter not contacting friends and shutting “the whole world out”.

He said: “Late last year Michelle was getting headaches and had a couple of blackouts.

“It was suggested she get her eyes tested so she went to the opticians and the girl got into a terrible state and said ‘you’ll have to go straight to the hospital’.

“There was a problem with her optical nerve so they gave her the lumbar puncture to check for things like pressure on the brain. From that point her life was horrendous.”

Michelle, who also worked on programmes including Scottish dating show Club Cupid and STV’s The Hour, is survived by her husband Paul Kerr, 43, and their five-year-old girl.

After her lumbar puncture Michelle underwent MRI and CAT scans which revealed she had calcium deposits on her optical nerve.

But by that point she was suffering from chronic headaches as a result of the spinal operation.

Mr Watt said: “Michelle at her best – everybody loved her. We’ll love her for the rest of our lives. We’re all totally devastated by this.”

Her death last Wednesday prompted a flood of tributes, including from TV stars such as Lorraine Kelly and Michelle McManus.

A report into her death is being sent to the procurator fiscal, but police have said there were no suspicious circumstances.

Mr Watt pointed out Michelle’s problems since the operation had also affected George Clooney, leaving him suicidal.

He said: “I remember someone said Clooney had the same procedure and the pain made him contemplate killing himself”.

Her father became so concerned for her well-being that the family sought professional help and Michelle moved back in with him for the last three months.

He added: “Now and again she went back to her own house but I was spending every single minute of my time with her.

“Nobody predicted what was going to happen. I thought we were getting somewhere with her. But unfortunately, no.”

Mr Watt who works as a boxing commentator with Sky Sports lost the youngest of his three childen in a car crash in 1995.

Describing the loss of a second child, Mr Watt said: “We don’t quite know how we’re going to recover from this.

“I’ve already lost a child which just compounds the grief.

“Losing a child never leaves you. You get your head around it and you deal with it.

“But for every good thing that happens in your life, for instance, when your grandchild is born, you say ‘wee Jim would have loved her’.

“I don’t quite know what we’re going to do with this one.”