The widow of the police chief found dead in north Wales described him as a "loving father and husband" on Thursday after media reports said he had been having an affair.

The body of Greater Manchester Police's Chief Constable Michael Todd, 50, was found in Snowdonia on Tuesday after he was reported missing.

In a statement, his wife Carolyn said: "Michael was a caring and loving father and husband. He was immensely proud of his kids.

"I loved Michael very much and the last time I spoke to him he told me he loved me too. The whole family is struggling to come to terms with his death."

The couple and their three children - Catherine, 16, and twin sons David and Matthew, 13 - had just returned from a family holiday in Jamaica, she added. The pair had been married for 27 years.

Unconfirmed reports in several newspapers said Todd feared that an affair he was having with a prominent Manchester businesswoman was about to be exposed.

In her first public comments since the death, his wife said the pair had not separated.

"He worked away from home on the second most important thing in his life, his job, returning to us at the weekend and for family holidays," she said in the statement.

Police in north Wales launched a search for Todd on Monday after he failed to return from a walk. His body was found near a remote mountain path the next day.

Media reports said he had spoken to colleagues about problems in his personal life in the days before his death.

Police have denied newspaper reports that suicide notes had been found near the body.

A post mortem carried out on Wednesday revealed no obvious cause of death. An inquest was opened on Thursday.