When Melissa Smeaton*,32 was expecting guests at her house, she reached for her trusty Henry Hoover but it didn’t work. Little did she know it would prove her partner hadn’t cleaned up his act.

I met a guy called Richard Anthony, 34 in a bar in Croydon in January 2011. I had recently split up with my ex and my friend Sarah, 32 wanted to cheer me up.

I knew of Richard’s reputation but he said that was all behind him.

After six months he moved into my place. We never argued, the sex was great and he had pretty much stopped going out with “the lads.”

We even started having dinner parties. I planned another posh dinner evening at our place for Saturday evening in March 2012.

However, I didn’t realise the time and rushed back home to clean our place.

When I got into the door I reached for my Henry Hoover.

To my horror as I switched on the Hoover it wasn’t sucking anything up. My trusty hoover had never failed me before.

Little did I know then, but he was holding the key evidence.

In a blind panic I picked up the hoover and rushed out of the door.

As I stormed into the hardware shop I grabbed the nearest assistant. He took me to the repairs room and began to dismantle the equipment.

 “Here is your culprit” He said, as he reached inside and pulled out a pair of white frilly French knickers.

My jaw dropped to the floor. I had never owned a pair of knickers like this in my life.

I left the shop with my tail between my legs and wondering which legs Richard had been in between.

As I stormed back into the house, I approached him with Henry in one arm and somebody else’s knickers in the other.

“They are nothing to do with me” He replied, trying to look angelic.

“Well I have never owned a pair. So either they are another girls, or you are a cross dresser” I shouted.

He continued to deny it but after what seemed like hours, he came clean.

He had sucked the life out of me. My Hoover was fixed but my heart was broken.

Henry Hoover might have been my hero, but now I am single and I feel he has left a vacuum in my life.

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