A PSYCHOLOGIST who was about to graduate with a doctorate has died in a tragic moped accident while on holiday in Rome.

Deborah Woods, aged 31, was knocked down and killed as she crossed a busy main road with her fiancé Graham Openshaw.

The couple had been sight-seeing in the capital after driving from their home in Bury to Italy for a friend’s wedding earlier in the week. Miss Woods was killed instantly as she crossed the busy Piazzale Flaminio in the early hours of Thursday, while Mr Openshaw, aged 32, escaped uninjured.

He had been best man at the wedding in the Marche region and the sweethearts were due to spend a few days camping before returning to the UK on Friday, June 17.

The couple, of Raymond Avenue, Bury, had been together for 12 years and had celebrated their anniversary just days before the tragedy.

The accident happened just hours after Mr Openshaw had jokingly tweeted about walking in the capital.

He wrote: “Spent the rest of the day wandering through Rome, looking at old buildings, nearly seeing Berlusconi and not getting hit by mopeds.”

A spokesperson for the family said: “They were at the pedestrian crossing and a motorbike came along as Debbie stepped out and hit her and she was instantly killed.

“Debbie and Graham were very much in love and had so many plans. They were each other’s lives.

“We are absolutely devastated. We just want to get her home now and try to get our heads around what has happened.”

Miss Woods worked as a clinical psychologist in Bury and was due to graduate with a PhD from Staffordshire University in July.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said: “We are in touch with next of kin and are providing consular assistance. We are also liaising with local authorities to help where we can.”

It was reported that the 25-year-old scooter rider was in a serious condition in hospital.