THE dumped millionaire fiancé of Geri Halliwell has spoken for the first time of their doomed relationship- and of his heartache at being ditched out of the blue.

Italian yacht tycoon Fabrizio Politi, 36, invited me on board and told me how he instantly fell for commitment-phobe Geri- even though her fellow Spice Girl Victoria Beckham was more his "cup of tea".

He sighed: "I had been looking for a beautiful woman to settle down with and start a family, and I thought in Geri I had finally found that person.

"But out of nowhere there was a very bad situation between us and suddenly Geri no longer wanted to get married."

The self-made businessman-about to host his own version of The Apprentice in Italy called The Dreamer-even swapped his workaholic lifestyle for long lazy mornings in bed with Halliwell, also 36.

But he was left sleeping alone when she dumped him a fortnight ago-just 12 weeks after accepting his glittering diamond engagement ring.

Happiest

It was the latest in a string of failed romances for mum-of-one Geri, whose past love disasters include TV star Chris Evans, singer Robbie Williams and TV scriptwriter Sasha Gervasi.

Latest love Fabrizio, was so smitten he PROPOSED to her within a few days of meeting her.

As he served me Cristal champagne in Pisa, Italy, he told me: "The three months I spent with Geri were the happiest three months of my life.

"For 15 years I have worked like a madman and Geri changed me. She gave me something to love other than my work. We had picked the date of our wedding and it was going to be later this year.

"Many people said to me I was crazy to ask a girl to get married after knowing her just a short while.

"But in love there are no rules-and I knew I had met the woman of my dreams and there was no reason to waste a single minute waiting.

"I wanted her to be my wife and I wanted her to be my wife as quickly as possible. I wanted to take care of her-I loved her."

The couple first met in December at a party thrown in Florence by fashion designer Roberto Cavalli.

And for Fabrizio it was love at first sight. Puffing on a Montecristo cigar, he recalled: "I honestly wasn't totally sure who she was at first, and the room was full of beautiful women. Nobody in Italy really knows who Geri is but when I was introduced to her and told she was a Spice Girl then I realised how famous she must be.

ALL AT SEA: Fabrizio on one of his yachts

"We started talking on the dance floor and she made me laugh so hard I knew she was someone special.

"She told me she was desperate to go to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

"So the next day even though it was closed I managed to arrange for them to open just for us.

"We started talking and never stopped. A few days later, when I flew to London to meet her, I knew I was falling in love."

He continued to surprise Geri with romantic gestures-and to shower her with love tokens.

"There is nothing I wouldn't do for the woman I love," he explained. "For me it is all about surprising her.

"For Geri I would love to send 100 white roses whenever I fancied.

"Sometimes I liked to present them on board my plane, other times they would be waiting in our hotel room.

"Then when she least expected it she would open her bag or find in one of her shoes love letters I had left her days before.

"We spent five wonderful days in the Maldives lazing round in the sun and laughing as we drank daiquiris and margaritas, laughing that they all tasted the same."

He recalled: "Geri's pet name for me was Prime Minister, because she joked that finally she was with someone who could sort anything for her. She said I could persuade anyone to do anything and organise anything and everything.

"For three months she made me laugh, talk and open up like I never had before.

"And why wouldn't I want to surprise and treat a woman that made me feel like that?"

Sex

Fabrizio's company Fashion Yachts makes super-luxury boats and has a turnover of around £90 million a year.

But his attraction to Geri was so strong he allowed himself to be distracted from work for the first time in his adult life.

He said: "For 15 years I have sacrificed my social life to build up my business. I would just work and work and work.

"Then Geri came along and changed everything. I started to split my time between Pisa and London and we spent every minute together we could.

"Many people have since told me we looked like brother and sister and now I can see that was one of the attractions. We mirrored each other in a lot of ways, physically and mentally." He went on: "For the first time in my life I was taking days off and having long lie-ins in bed on a morning.

"I normally do everything fast fast fast . . . except in bed!

"Because I love sex. Just ask Geri. But sadly it wasn't to last." The couple became so close that Fabrizio introduced Geri to his parents, who "adored her".

He adds: "But to be honest my mum would have adored anyone that she could see was making her son so happy."

In turn, Fabrizio met Geri's mum and three-year-old daughter Bluebell.

He even got the seal of approval from three of the other Spice Girls - Victoria, Mel C and Emma Bunton.

He explained: "One evening in London Geri brought all the Spice Girls to meet me, except Mel B who was in LA, to see if I passed the friends test.

"I can remember thinking I was the luckiest man alive to be sat at a table, the only man, with all these fabulous girls.

"I remember walking into the toilet and some guys patting me on the back saying: 'You lucky guy.' And I was. They were all brilliant company, especially Victoria.

"To be honest, looks and dress-wise she was normally more my cup of tea than Geri, as she dresses like me-a little more refined and elegant.

Jeans

"But it was Geri I had fallen for and I was delighted when she told me they had all texted her after the dinner to say they approved and loved me."

Fabrizio admitted he and Geri were "very different in many ways".

He said: "Geri used to joke and tell me I had OCD as I was so ridiculously tidy.

"She opened my closets and screamed with laughter when she saw all my clothes were black, white or gold and in perfect order in my closet. She on the other hand was totally different.

"This is a woman who changed me so much she even got me to wear my first ever pair of jeans. But when you love someone you love them just the way they are so I didn't mind."

Then, suddenly, Geri decided to end it. Fabrizio refuses to explain why, saying: "I respect Geri too much to divulge that. All I can say was a very bad situation happened between us."

But a friend of the couple told us: "Fabrizio was totally shocked by what happened.

"One day he was planning the wedding and was totally happy, and the next Geri just said it was over.

"It was her that made all the moves, nothing was his idea. The crisis was Geri's huge change of heart.

"Now he knows that Geri has a reputation as someone who is commitment-shy. She is just very fickle."

Despite being heartbroken Fabrizio says he would never get back together with Geri, even if she wanted him to.

He said: "I do miss the wonderful times we spent together. But I would never go back."

Some good has come out of the break-up-for other single Brit girls.

While visiting Geri, Fabrizio also fell in love with Britain and is going to move to London-to look for a wife!

He said: "I still want to buy a home there. I love British girls. Compared to Italian women they are just so funny, open and elegant.

"Geri might have put me off falling in love but not forever. Everyone thinks I am this playboy but really all I want is a wife and four kids. Hopefully, second time lucky in London, I'll find it."

Latest in long line

GERI has a colourful history of failed romances.

FURNITURE: Chris Evans

She was once dubbed a bunny-boiler when she re-arranged the furniture in Radio 2 star Chris Evans's house after just a handful of dates with him.

And she was branded a "demonic little girl" by singer Robbie Williams after their fling in 2000.

Later relationships include actor Jerry O'Connel, Coffee Republic boss Bobby Hashemi and dancer Christian Storm.

In 2005 Geri fell pregnant by scriptwriter Sacha Gervasi but the couple split before baby Bluebell was born.

Last year she dated Spice Girls backing dancer Ivan "Flipz" Velez and dumped him by phone after seven months.

• Geri Halliwell spotted with ex flame

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