Heather* was 22 when she met Rob*, marking the beginning of what seemed like a fairy tale. Rob treated Heather like a princess, showering her with lavish gifts and chauffeuring her everywhere. As their relationship blossomed, Rob began spending more time at Heather’s house, eventually moving in.
Rob initially contributed his share towards household expenses but evaded that responsibility over time. He was secretive.
“[Rob] mentioned that he had debt but when I asked how much, it was just like a few thousand. He was not transparent about the salary he was making. I also discovered he had children and didn’t tell me. So he was trying to pay for children and to pay for us to build a life together. He was asking me for money as well and towards the end of the relationship, it came out that he was over £30,000 in debt,” Heather recounts.