Lonely hearts ad plea proves to be last resort

Lonely hearts ad plea proves to be last resort

WHEN Terry Holt split from his partner of 11 years, he wasn’t about to cancel the family holiday to Turkey – instead he advertised for a woman to go with him.

But what started out as a laugh has turned into a full-time job. Terry’s been inundated with replies from around the globe and has now become a mini-celebrity in his home town of Romsey, Hampshire.

“Sleepless in Seattle was one of my favourite films, but I don’t think I could watch it again after all this,” Terry told last word.

“I’ve had calls from Abu Dhabi, the US and Norway from women aged 14-80. The response has been overwhelming.”

News of Terry’s advert in his local newspaper was picked up by the Daily Mail and The Sun.

From there came an appearance on the GMTV sofa and a live link-up with a radiostation in New York.

Terry and sons Daniel, 10, Liam, eight, and Conor, six, are now wading through a mountain of mail from prospective stand-in mums. They intend to draw up a shortlist and get the chosen few to write a one-page letter outlining why they should go.

And since the boys are busy, last word decided to make sure they get the best out of their two-week £3,500 break with Mark Warner at Club Hotel Altinel near Bodrum.

We contacted the tour operator’s marketing manager Nigel Ragg, who was delighted to lend a helping hand. “In light of everything Terry has been through, we’ll be happy to put on something special for him when he gets to the resort,” said Ragg. “We’ve had some great publicity out of it so it’s the least we can do.”

However, Ragg advised others thinking offollowing in Holt’s footsteps to spare themselves the trouble. “Our hotels are great places to meet people because everybody is mixed together. Lots of single people meet up through Mark Warner and you don’t have to worry about the kids because of all the activities,” he said.