Crying tears of joy, dying mother-of-three Jane Tomlinson embraced her husband and children after cycling into Leeds yesterday to complete her epic Rome to Home bike ride.

"You're not home until you are with your family," she said tearfully, after hugging husband Mike and children Suzanne, 19, and Steven, seven.

"I'm just so glad to be back and - I really, really mean it - this is the end of my fundraising."

Thousands of people gathered at Leeds Town Hall to give Mrs Tomlinson and her brother Luke Goward, 39, a real Yorkshire homecoming.

The terminal cancer sufferer has cycled 1,905 miles from Rome on a tandem bike with her brother and raised £160,000 for charity.

Colleagues from Leeds General Infirmary and St James's Hospital in Leeds, where the pair work, turned out to welcome them back.

Her daughter Rebecca, 16, was unable to meet her mother as she is doing her GCSE exams.

Even though her time with her family is limited, the brave woman has spent 36 days away from them and from her job as a paediatric radiographer.

While she has been away, hundreds have logged on to her www.janesappeal.com website to donate money, handed them cash on the bikes and sent money to the appeal's building society.

Husband Mike, 43 , who has been at home with the children, wept with pride as he spoke about his wife's achievements.

"The magnitude of what they have done is amazing. It's quite an achievement to drive it, but to ride on a bike for 36 days in her condition - it's amazing.

"Nobody's ever done this before. It's unique.

"Three years ago, we couldn't have ever dreamt she was going to be alive another year but to have lived and to do this is just incredible."

Mike added: ''You couldn't have written a story like this as nobody would have believed it."