Trish -- if you obtain Mary Ellen's death certificate - by that time, I am pretty certain a woman's maiden name will be shown on that certificate, which will help.
(By the way - if the person, whom you have mentioned born in 1953, is the couple's daughter and still alive -- you will need to remove her name - perhaps refer to her as a daughter). I did look though and could not see anyone with that name born in Nottinghamshire at the time you mentioned - although I may have missed it of course!