[Cherie]

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A struggling single mother claims she was forced to use a foodbank after splurging £1,000 on a holiday romance - only for her 'skint' lobster-chomping boyfriend to 'ghost' her once she returned to the UK.

Francesca Emmott said she had spent weeks saving up before flying out to Cyprus for a two-week holiday with her two kids and parents last month.

But within the first three days of the trip, her new beau begged to come join them. As they had been on several cinema and restaurant dates, she decided to take the plunge.

The lovestruck 32-year-old old paid almost £300 for the man to come and join her but soon regretted it.

She claimed he turned up and said he was 'skint', meaning she had to pay for 'everything' from cocktails to fresh lobster.

He watched on as she borrowed money from her parents, her children's father and friends until she had blown an extra £1,000 on the holiday she said felt 'like a honeymoon'.

By the time she returned home, she had to resort to using a food bank just a week later after claiming she was plunged into 'a bad situation' and left with 'a lot of debt'.

Following the holiday, the man also had stopped speaking to her, telling friends Francesca was 'not his type'.

Thousands had been moved reading online of how Francesca said she had even struggled to scrape together £18.50 for a large margherita pizza that her daughter innocently ordered without her knowledge.

Francesca has now insisted she would not have been in that situation had she not spent money paying for her boyfriend to come on their family holiday.

The mother-of-two has now spoken out warning other women of the dangers of trusting men too quickly - urging people to 'go with your gut instinct'.

Francesca, who is currently studying psychology at the Open University, said: 'He brought nothing but I just felt so happy to see him. I ran up to him when he arrived at the airport.

'I was feeling pretty lovestruck. It was a big holiday romance. Going out for dinner every night was so romantic, he was feeding me lobster. It was like a honeymoon.

'He was amazing with the kids. He spent more time with them than with me. He was playing in the pool, taking them out for walks with my little boy in the pram.

'I paid for everything: breakfast, lunches, teas, going out and having drinks. Even though it was all financially on me, it was amazing.

'We were on the beach and I'd run out of money. He watched me ring a family member to ask for more money.'

She said she had invited the man out on the trip after her new love-interest had met up with a former girlfriend, who she said had become very jealous and angry.

Worried about his safety, Francesca booked him onto the earliest flight out to join her and her family abroad.