Former professional wrestler Jimmy Breaks has been arrested in Gran Canaria after a British woman believed to be his ex-partner died in hospital.

Donna Cowley, 47, died nearly 24 hours after allegedly being beaten to death at her home on the island.

Pictured: Former professional wrestler Jimmy Breaks, who has been arrested in connection with the death of Donna Cowley

Jimmy Breaks, 80, is now in custody.

He is being investigated on suspicion of homicide, although the results of a post-mortem on Donna Cowley, due to take place over the weekend, will determine whether the judicial probe proceeds on that basis.

He is also being held on suspicion of an offence of undermining the authority of the law - following what Guardia Civil officers describe as an act of 'active resistance' after he was taken into custody.

He has not yet been charged with any crime, as is normal in Spain where charges are only laid shortly before trial.

The assault believed to have resulted in her death is said to have occurred just after midnight in the early hours of Friday morning at an apartment in the holiday resort of Puerto Rico in the south of Gran Canaria.

Ms Cowley died in an island hospital later the same day.

Regional governors expressed their horror at what had happened and said their thoughts were with Donna's family.

Breaks won the Northern Featherweight Championship after entering the amateur wrestling ranks before being trained for the professional ring by talented wrestler Bernard Murray.

He won the British Lightweight championship against Melwyn Rees in October 1963, holding the title until February 15, 1967.

He then went on to win the belt a further nine times before losing it for the final time against Steve Grey on March 22, 1984.

Pictured: One-time wrestling pro Jimmy Breaks, who was British Lightweight champion from 1963 to 1967

Pictured: Jimmy Breaks holding down a rival during a wrestling match

Breaks (pictured in the ring) was a highly successful wrestler, losing his British Lightweight title for the last time in 1984 after being defeated by Steve Grey

He was a regular on TV when televised wrestling reached record audiences.

A well-informed wrestling website claimed he appeared on ITV wrestling for 28 years, longer than any other wrestler and more times than anyone else except the late Mick McManus.

He was often called ‘Cry Baby’ Jimmy Breaks because of his habit of throwing tantrums and having disputes with the referee.

Donna Cowley was found in the early hours of Friday morning at 12.45am in an apartment in the Bahía Azul complex in Mogán, believed to be where she was living.

Pictured: An advert for a fight between Breaks and Strongman Dennison in Southend-on-Sea

Pictured: Breaks going up against a masked opponent in the ring

It is being reported that she had received 'several blows' in an incident which is suspected of being a case of domestic violence.

Police called in emergency medics who took Ms Cowley to a health centre in Arguineguín and then on to the University Hospital of Gran Canaria, where doctors were unable to save her when she went into cardiac arrest.

Friends of Donna Cowley paid tribute to her on Facebook last night.

One, Samantha Way, wrote: 'RIP my dear friend. I'm so angry that you had to be taken this way. You were put through so many challenges in life and to end this way I am truly sickened. I hope the angels will guide you to a place where you will be at peace.'

A spokesman for the Guardia Civil, the police force investigating, said: 'At 12.45am yesterday, local police in Mogan responded initially after being alerted to a 999 call about an alleged assault which had occurred at a property in the municipality.

'The initial police response focused on assisting the victim and subsequently detaining the alleged aggressor who was immediately handed over to the Guardia Civil in Mogan.

'The victim, a foreign woman aged 47 who lives in the Canary Islands, was taken to Arguineguin Health Centre before being transferred to the Gran Canaria Insular Hospital in the capital Las Palmas where she died yesterday morning.

'Up until now, and pending the official result of the autopsy, it has not been possible to determine the exact causes of her death, and whether her death is linked to the possible assault.

Victim: Donna Cowley, 47, died nearly 24 hours after the alleged assault at an apartment in the holiday resort of Puerto Rico in the south of Gran Canaria. Pictured: A file photograph of the island

'The arrested man, who is 80 and also a foreign man living in the Canary Islands, is also being held on suspicion of undermining the authority of the law relating to an act of "active resistance" at the Guardia Civil station in Puerto Rico.'

Spanish newspaper La Provincia says that when the police arrived, the man was 'sitting on the settee watching TV' while Ms Cowley was found bleeding in the bath.

She was said to be fully conscious when they arrived on the scene but died after suffering cardio-respiratory failure as medics were beginning X-rays to discover the extent of her injuries several hours after she had been taken to hospital.

Sources say there were no previous allegations or background of violence between the couple, who had lived in Gran Canaria for some time.

Breaks has been placed in the hands of the courts in San Bartolomé de Tirajana and is expected to make an appearance either today or tomorrow.

Police say an autopsy is being carried out to determine the cause of Ms Cowley's death.

The Canary Islands Government's Justice and Equality Minister Jose Miguel Barragan said: 'We must fight against male violence against women.'

Police said: 'The victim, a foreign woman aged 47 who lives in the Canary Islands, was taken to Arguineguin Health Centre before being transferred to the Gran Canaria Insular Hospital in the capital Las Palmas where she died yesterday morning'

Calling on the local community to demonstrate their 'maximum repulsion' of this sort of crime, he added: 'We will only be able to eradicate it through unity and the firm commitment of our whole society.'

Claudina Morales, president of the Canarian Institute of Equality, said male violence against women was an 'intolerable violation of human rights.'

An official court source, who offered a different age for the detainee, said: 'The 88-year-old British national with the initials J.B. has been remanded in prison with no offer of bail.'