original news story

A Bournemouth man paid £1200 to apologise to his girlfriend on a billboard, it emerged last week.
The message, in which the opening sentence reads ‘I have been stupid, I have lied, I have been selfish and wrong’ was Ben Hillman’s last port of call at winning his girlfriend of four years back.
The extravagant act became necessary after Mr. Hillman,
24, had broken his
girlfriend’s trust by cheating on ‘the love The billboard that Mr. Hillman forked out for on Oxford Road, Bournemouth
of his life’ for over a month.
The billboard, which is at Oxford Road, Bournemouth, is set to stay there for another three weeks, as Mr. Hillman paid for a two month board.
His ex-girlfriend, who has apparently seen the board, still can not forgive him for what he did, and he remains a single man.
He said: “I had run out of ideas. This was my last ditch effort.”
When asked about whether he regretted the rather expensive and somewhat unorthodox apology he said: “It was worth the risk. But you know, I can’t expect her to forgive me for what I’ve done.
Mr. Hillman now lives with his parents as he searches for a new home, since his ex-girlfriend kicked him out of their two-bedroom apartment.
The love affair, which Ben claims was the ‘biggest mistake of his life’, came out as he admitted it to her in a fiery argument, and he said: “I have no confidence that I will ever get her back. I can only pray”.