A woman is claiming £1 million from her former employer after she became ill and lost her job.

Joanna MacLennan, 36, from Sutton, suffers from Chromic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and uses two walking sticks.

She told a hearing at The High Court yesterday (February 2) how she became ill in 2006 due to working up to 12 hour days.

Widower Mrs MacLennan, a former HR manager at Hartford Europe LTD, told the court how she had "been through a difficult time" with the sales team at the company and felt like she was being "gossiped about".

She told Mr Justice Hickinbottom, people were "funny" with her after she was diagnosed with CFS in 2006.

After being signed off work sick, Mrs MacLennan claims she "couldn't take it" when she received getting calls at home from people at the company to talk about work matters, when a doctor had told her not to have contact with work.

She said: "Nobody was listening to me. I was just trying to do what the doctor said."

The phone calls prompted Mrs MacLennan's mum to tell her colleagues to "back off" as her daughter could "barely" walk or talk at the time, the court was told.

The court heard one doctor suggested she "get a new job".

Barrister for Hartford Europe David Platt QC said Mrs MacLennan tried to blame work for her illness after she had been overlooked for a £85,000 a year job at the firm.

He claimed medical evidence suggested it was a recent bout of chicken pox which was in fact to blame.

He tried to discredit the medical evidence the claimant presented by saying it was from a doctor who used "mushrooms" as a treatment method.

Mr Platt said "Jo's prognosis was so poor" the company could not help her, and indeed did not know Mrs MacLennan had issues with her workload.

It was suggested by Mr Platt Mrs MacLennan should have raised her alleged work-induced illness at a meeting with her employers at the Holiday Inn in Sutton on October 23 2006.

Following the meeting, the company decided Mrs MacLennan "had to be replaced because she could no longer do the job."

Kate Roberts, a former employee of Hartford Europe and a friend of the claimant, told the court how a "culture" of staying late and long hours was "encouraged."

The court heard how at the height of Mrs MacLennan's illness in 2006 she had sent an email to her previous employers at Legal and General saying how happy she was with her job, but Mrs MacLennan claims she was just saying it as "a matter of pride".

Mrs MacLennan has not worked since 2006.

The hearing, which is due to finish on February 10, continues.