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WHEN single mum Michelle met handsome head chef Stuart Duffy – who was also a doting dad – she thought all her dreams had come true. 

Having struggled by herself since her son James was born, she craved having a complete family, and couldn’t believe her luck when Stuart appeared to tick all her boxes. 

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However, three years into their relationship, Michelle would learn the truth about her manipulative partner, who left her with £24,000 worth of debts and spun her a web of lies.

Her shocking tale was documented on Channel 4’s Love Cheat series, which also exposed how criminal Stuart also stole from another woman, Natalie, who he dated after Michelle.

Speaking about how she met Stuart, Michelle, from Falkirk, Scotland, shared: “When I split up from James’ dad I really wanted a family unit for myself and James. 

“I was looking for someone that was ambitious and exciting. I didn’t think my standards were that high.

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“I was starting to think it was never going to happen.”

Michelle, who became a single mum shortly after James’ first birthday, met Stuart at a party in 2017, and he had dazzled her with his “confidence” while doing karaoke.

What also impressed her was his successful job, with him claiming to work as a head chef at a fancy restaurant called The Rotunda, and cooking for the likes of Katy Perry.

The final aspect of Stuart that won her over was the fact he was a single dad too, to a daughter from a previous relationship.

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Michelle added: “Stuart really liked the idea of me having James. 

“He told me he was a dad and that he was so good with kids. I was really excited to meet someone who was so family-orientated.”

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Stuart took Michelle on a date in Newcastle where he offered to pay for everything, and she was touched how he opened up about his dad passing away when he was 18.

During the meet-up, he also shared how he wanted to use his inheritance to open his own bar. 

Michelle shared: “That was his dream. When his dad passed away he left him a huge amount of money. He implied it was in the hundreds of thousands. 

“I don’t come from money and that doesn’t impress me but I thought ‘good for you’.”

Just three weeks later, Stuart met James and moved in with them, with Michelle’s mum, Janet, who she was very close to, giving her seal of approval.

Janet said in the documentary: “He was lovely. He was very chatty and good looking and more importantly had a good job. 

“I thought great, he’s going to look after her.”

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The first sign that something was amiss happened on their first family holiday together to Tenerife during Easter 2017. 

As Stuart and Janet were in the pool, he confessed that he’d had a problem with his bank and they’d frozen his account.

Requesting £300 to tide him over until the end of the holiday, he assured her he would quickly pay her back.

That same trip, he got down on one knee and popped the question to a delighted Michelle with a £850 ring.

She shared: “I screamed and then said yes. I was so in love. Single to engaged in three months.”

Looking back on the swift proposal, Michelle’s mum said: “I thought, ‘God that’s quite quick’, but at the same time I thought he was perfect for her. 

“It was a dream come true. But we just didn’t know what was around the corner.”

Heading home from the holiday, the engaged couple embarked on planning their special day, and put down a £5,000 deposit on a lavish £50,000 manor house wedding.

Michelle said of the no-expense-spared plans: “Stuart said he had this inheritance, so [said] whatever you want we’ll have it.”

Michelle and Stuart also started looking for a bigger house as he had his daughter from a previous relationship, and they spoke about having kids together. 

They were delighted when they found one that had a “massive garden”, needed no work doing to it, and the owners were looking for a quick sale as the woman was due to give birth.

Excited about the move, Michelle shared: “I was so excited to have that family unit I’d always wanted. An overwhelming amount of joy.”

Stuart shared how the timing felt right for him to have his dream come true with opening his bar in town, after spotting a vacant property available in town.

Signing the contract, he put down £4,800 to cover two months’ rent and started building work on the interior.

While everything seemed to be going well for the couple, Janet felt something wasn’t quite adding up.

After offering to cook a lasagne for her – as head chef of the Italian part of Rotunda – she was surprised at how “awful” it was.

She shared: “I probably could have made a better one, and I can’t cook.”

The mum was also concerned when, after the meal, Stuart asked her for yet more cash, saying the same thing had happened to his account.

She lent him £500, despite him still not paying her back £300 for the loan in Tenerife.

Stuart upped the ante at the bar – which they’d named Le Cure – and handed in his notice at Rotunda to focus on the grand opening, which included a further £2,000 in maintenance costs.

While this was going on, relations between Michelle and her mum became “hostile”, after Stuart asked her for yet more money – which she refused. 

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She shared: “At this point Stuart was avoiding me. 

“I went from speaking to her multiple times a day to hardly any communication at all. It was a nightmare.”

The relationship was strained further when Janet suspected Stuart had used Michelle’s nan’s credit card to spend £500, as Michelle and Stuart visited her in Nottingham.

After being confronted, Stuart raged at Michelle, saying: “Your mum has an issue with me. She doesn’t want us to be together. She’s making it up.”

While Michelle defended Stuart against her mum, she started to have her own doubts after receiving worrying texts from the couple they were looking to buy the house from.

The angry messages included “you and your partner are disgusting” and “how could you do this to us?” – saying the sale was falling through. 

It turned out that the estate agent had rung The Rotunda looking for a reference for Stuart, and had been told they had no idea who he was and had never heard of him.

Michelle was shocked, and confessed: “I was devastated. All this stuff was falling through and nothing was happening.”

Stuart shrugged it off saying there were three restaurants in The Rotunda and they must have phoned the wrong restaurant.

Michelle was concerned, but pushed it to one side after finding out she had fallen pregnant with a second baby.

She shared: “I’ve always wanted more than one child so I was really happy. It was exciting, but nervy as well. 

“I thought this was going to be a new beginning, the baby would come in and we’d be a family and live happily ever after.”

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While Janet had been at the birth when James was born, due to their tense relationship, Michelle didn’t want her around when Ellie arrived, which devastated the mum. 

Stuart’s web of lies came crashing down in 2020, when Michelle wanted to decorate at home and pulled a chest of drawers away from the wall.

As she moved the furniture piece, dozens of debt letters fell on the floor exposing the dark truth. 

Michelle shared: “I felt sick. I was just in shock. Credit cards, pay day loans, bank account in my name with TSB.

“The engagement ring he bought on a credit card he took out in my name.

“The total debt came to £24,000. I think I stopped breathing for a second.”

On top of all these, there was £14,000 to pay back for Le Cure. 

She added: “There was no inheritance. He was just not who he says he is. Everything just fell apart and I was done. That was the end of the relationship.”

Michelle phoned the police and while they were with her, Stuart texted her threatening to take his own life.

DC Khalid Abdulrahman shared: “This wasn’t just debt, Michelle was in fact a victim of domestic abuse. 

“Domestic abuse is not just physical abuse, it’s also psychological and financial abuse.

Michelle was completely unaware throughout the whole relationship she was a victim of this crime.”

Tragically, she wasn’t Stuart’s only victim.

After the relationship broke down with Michelle, he started dating and moved in with single mum Natalie, and his worrying behaviour continued.

Domestic abuse – how to get help

DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone – including men – and does not always involve physical violence.

Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship:

  • Emotional abuse – Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse – gaslighting – being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to
  • Threats and intimidation – Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you
  • Physical abuse – This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten.
  • Sexual abuse – Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent.

If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers:

Remember, you are not alone.

1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime.

Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse.

She discovered one day he had taken hundreds of pounds out of her piggy bank, and also contacted the police.

Stuart was arrested and charged with domestically aggravated fraud perpetrated against Michelle, and domestically aggravated theft linked to Natalie.

After changing his plea to guilty, he was given 300 hours of community service, an ankle tag for six months, and an offender supervision requirement for three years. 

Alongside this, he is forbidden from contacting Michelle and Natalie for 10 years. 

Despite the verdict, neither woman feels justice has been fully served. 

Natalie shared: “How do you trust people? How do you let people in? How do you move on? So no, I don’t think we got justice.

“The one good thing to come out of the situation is the friendship between me and Michelle. “It’s a friendship that will last forever. We are trauma-bonded sisters now.”

Meanwhile, Michelle has since repaired the relationship with her mum, who said: “Our whole family was affected by this, but at least she knows we were telling the truth all along.”

However, her main upset is how Stuart’s actions have affected her kids. 

Michelle added: “What breaks my heart most about this situation is that this is Ellie’s dad. Nobody wants their dad to be a bad person. 

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“James doted on Stuart and I can see the effects he’s had on James. There is manipulating me, but manipulating James is a step too far.”

Love Cheats is available to stream on Channel 4‘s streaming service


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