British woman catfished by fake Gary Barlow finally gets to meet her idol after making tragic admission

A woman who was tragically catfished by a man claiming to be Gary Barlow has finally met her idol after sharing her ordeal online.

Befriending our idols is something many of us dream of. Could we bump into them at the supermarket? Or maybe they'll reach out on social media?

For 62-year-old Janet Smith, she thought her dreams had come true after spotting Take That singer Gary on Facebook back in March and decided to add him as a friend.

The pair began chatting and hit it off immediately, however, Janet would soon realise that things weren't what they seemed after he repeatedly bombarded her with compliments.

When he told her he'd 'split up' from his partner, Janet decided to it was time to discover the truth and asked convinced the scammer to reveal his true identity.

She then learnt that she was actually talking to a 24-year-old man from Nigeria, who apologised for lying to her.

He went on to say he had actually fallen in love with her and needed her to send him cash.

62-year-old Janet Smith was targeted by a scammer. (SWNS)

The experience left Janet feeling dejected, with the pizza restaurant worker feeling 'really guilty' as the man had told her he came from a poor family and needed the money to 'get some food'.

She also felt it was important to share her story, in order to help others spot the signs of a potential scam.

"Elderly people are going to be adding these 'celebrities'. They're going to be conning these old people," she said.

"I understand that they are poor and they have to get money for their family, but people might lose a lot of money over this. It's also giving celebrities a bad name."

Thankfully for Janet, her ordeal had a happy ending after the real Gary came across her story and decided to organise something special for her.

After hearing about Janet's experience, Gary invited her to Take That's gig at Carrow Road on 28 May and arranged to meet her before the show.

Janet brought gifts of mars bars, a mug and a Milk Tray for Gary and the boys. (SWNS)

Recalling the meeting, Janet said: "Gary came running down the corridor saying hello and giving me a hug.

"He said he was so sorry about what happened and asked how I was - it was lovely."

Janet went on to add that she had brought gifts for Gary and the rest of the band - including a mug which the singer posed for a picture with.

"He's very kind - fame hasn't gone to his head. It was like seeing a friend in the street," she said.

"I was laughing and he was laughing - he's really kind and friendly. He gave me a cuddle and didn't judge me.

"Even when he went he was shouting goodbye, it was wonderful."