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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Kirsty McCormack

Grieving woman conned by 'Gerard Butler' leaves This Morning fans cold-hearted

Many This Morning fans had zero sympathy for a woman who was conned out of a lot of money by a man she thought was Gerard Butler.

Anne Larkin appeared on Tuesday's show to share her story with hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.

The former police officer explained that she was targeted whilst grieving after losing the love of her life.

She was initially contacted via Facebook Messenger by a person pretending to be Hollywood actor Gerard.

The scammer told Anne he was building a compound for homeless children and families, which included a school and asked her for some funds.

This Morning fans had zero sympathy for Anne Larkin who was conned out of a lot of money by a man she thought was Gerard Butler (ITV)

Anne explained to Holly and Phil: "They were building houses, they were building a hospital, they were other outbuildings being built."

"Did he do it through a foundation?’ Phil asked, before adding: "Did he say he had a charitable foundation?"

Anne replied: "He just sent the plans of what was being built, how it was being built, and said they were keen for building funds to get it all built in one go rather than sections."

Phillip Schofield looked stunned as he interviewed Anne Larkin (ITV)

She also revealed that the most amount of money she had sent to the scammer in one go was a whopping £20,000.

This Morning fans had little sympathy for Anne though and took to Twitter to comment.

"What is wrong with these women?? Gerard Butler FFS #ThisMorning," one person tweeted.

Another posted: "#ThisMorning I’m sorry, but no sympathy, more money than sense ! Gerard Butler, REALLY ??? Rich Hollywood actor, & yet another American soldier ! Vulnerable or not this is common sense & goes on tv to talk about it!"

Anne believed the scammers when they claimed to be Hollywood actor Gerard Butler (Getty Images)

A third person said: "Oh gosh, I mean I can semi understand people getting catfished…but when “Gerard Butler” pops up in your DMs, I really struggle to understand how someone will fall for a celebrity #ThisMorning."

This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV and ITV Hub.

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