Mum-Of-Nine Who 'Walked Out' On Husband For Toyboy Blasted By Viewers

A woman who left her husband for a Gambian man she met online appeared on ITV's Loose Women to defend her decision, but she did not win over viewers.

Mother-of-nine Heidi Hepworth was contacted out of the blue by Salieu Jallow - who is 12 years younger than her - on Facebook and after striking up an online friendship, she made the shock decision to leave her husband, Andy, and fly to Gambia to meet him in the flesh.

Heidi, who was married to Andy for 23 years, denied that she had 'abandoned' her family as many claimed and told the hosts that the trip took three months of planning and her sister stepped in to look after her youngest children.

When asked if she thought her younger boyfriend might be interested in her cash or a visa, she told the Loose Women that he had never asked for a penny and that he already had a visa.

Speaking about flying out there, she said: "It was daunting at first. I got on the plane and thought oh my god what have I done? He met me off the plane with his brother and friend. And yeah it was alright."

She quickly changed 'alright' to magical, when Ruth Langsford told her she had been expecting her to say a bit more than 'alright'.

However, viewers at home were less than impressed with Heidi's choices with one asking: "Disgusting. How can you leave your kids?" another added: "Don't like that she left her children also he could have been someone else when she got there could have been dangerous"

Speaking to the Mail Online, Heidi's ex Andy called her an 'idiot' and a 'buffoon'.

He told the Mail: "It's become a joke now, she's an idiot and has apparently got his name on her backside - she's in cloud cuckoo land, that's where she's at.

"The last time she went away I mopped her mess up and she's bringing it up again.

"She's wanting money to get over there again. I think that's why she's on the telly, it's the money."

He added that despite what Heidi had said, he found a receipt from Moneygram for £65, leading him to believe she had been handing over cash. He also told the paper that other people had contacted him to tell him Jallow was a conman.

But speaking on Loose Women today, Heidi said: "I don't care what people think. I'm 44-years-old, I'm not a child. The most important thing to me is my children."

Source: Mail Online

Featured Image Credit: ITV/Loose Women

Topics: uk news, TV and Film, ITV

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19