After a TV show hostess was accused of cheating her ex-boyfriend out of more than 2.25 million yuan (US$271,084), she issued him a letter through her lawyer, warning him against committing libel, reports New Express News.

Liang, a private enterprise owner in Foshan's Shunde District, filed a lawsuit to recover the money and the trial at the Doshan District People's Court in Guangzhou is currently under way.

Wu, who hosts a Guangzhou-based television show, borrowed some money from him to buy flats for her family and to pay her father's medical bills after they started dating in May 2002, Liang said.

But she fended off his marriage proposals, saying "a marriage certificate doesn't mean anything". In July, she broke up with him.

His demands that she return the money were reported to police as "extortion".

Liang believes Wu planned the whole thing because she continually refused to pose for photos with him. And she always claimed she didn't have a boyfriend in magazine interviews, Liang said. He has presented cash withdrawal slips, signed by Wu and her mother, as evidence.

Wu, while refusing an interview with the newspaper, said in a cellphone message to Liang that he came up with the scam theory because he was unable to accept that their relationship had failed. She had her lawyer issue a warning letter to Liang, saying she would consider taking legal action if he did not stop spreading rumours about her.

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