Carla Bellucci, 42, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, insisted she won't profit from the payments, having forked out £1,000 for the chef to prepare a menu of butternut squash soup, salmon tarts ...

For months after buying her "dream home", Elizabeth Earle was freezing cold, had no shower and was forced to use a bucket instead of a toilet. But she was willing to make sacrifices for a ...