Credit Card agreement before 2007

If someone had a number of credit card's pre 2007 and had an average debt of 10k on each credit card and they have passed away would the spouse be able to contest the debt?. He had these credit cards in the 90s and was paying £1 a month, the companies will pursue any money left over to the estate. These days companies offer settlement figures, where would they stand on this given a lot of people seem to be going down the road of trying to get credit cards wiped as some of the credit agreements were not legit.

thanks in advance.