The former girlfriend of Manchester United star Jesse Lingard has blasted him for giving her the boot after he hit the big time.
Emma Hyde claims she put her life on hold for five years to help him when he was an unknown academy player – and even quit the job she loved to nurse him through an injury.
The 28-year-old told pals that after Jesse blew the whistle on their relationship earlier this year she was forced to quit an apartment he had rented for her.
She also claims a luxury motor he gave her vanished and she can no longer get into a Manchester nightclub when Jesse, 23, is there.
Emma told a pal: “To think we were going to get married and I thought Jesse was the one.
“I’ve had the worst time of my life. I can’t believe I wasted so many years only for him to dump me when he hit the big time.”
Emma had hoped for a reconciliation after the player returned from a summer trip to Miami and asked her out again. But after the make-or-break dates he showed her the red card – and things allegedly turned sour.
The pal said: “She’s devastated. The Jesse she met five years ago was a nice, normal person, he wasn’t famous. She can’t believe he could have done something like that to her.”
Jesse and Emma lived together in Bowdon, Cheshire, and he showered her with gifts including a Range Rover Evoque.
Emma later swapped this for a Porsche Cayenne – but last month, the car disappeared.
The pal said: “Emma contacted the police but she was told the car belonged to Jesse and was taken with a key, so there was no theft. She was stunned.”
And Emma has said she struggled to get into a top celebrity spot in Manchester on her birthday this year. “I’ve been told I can’t go in when Jesse’s there,” she told her pal.
“I only got in on my birthday as it was the night before Jesse’s match, so he wasn’t out.”
But Emma is particularly angry and hurt that having supported Jesse before he found success, she has since been portrayed as a kept WAG.
The friend said: “Emma wants people to know she’s no gold-digger. She was the one who supported him for years.
“Jesse stayed at Emma’s apartment in Sale, she was an assistant manager at a jewellery shop and paid the bills.
“They only moved to a gated community when Jesse started getting too much attention. People were knocking at the door asking for signed shirts.
“Emma was so proud of him for doing well, it’s all she ever wanted.
"She really enjoyed her job. She had a normal life with Jesse. They’d go out with friends from home.
"Before he became a United regular he was loaned out to Brighton, Birmingham and Leicester and she went with him.”
Emma’s support for the player, who has moved into a new luxury pad in Bowdon, included taking months off work unpaid to care for him when he was injured last year.
Her pal said: “Jesse asked Emma to leave work to care for him, saying he would financially support her.
"Seeing him so down broke her heart and she agreed, she wanted to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible. His foot was in a brace, he couldn’t drive and had to be on an ice machine every few hours. Jesse was sent on loan to Derby, so they moved there for four months.”
Emma met Jesse in December 2011 when the footballer spotted her at Manchester club Bijou.
Her pal said: “He then messaged her on Facebook asking if she’d had a good night. Emma had no idea who he was, he was a complete nobody back then, an academy player without a contract. He’d seen her around a few times and was smitten.”
Emma, who manages a hair salon, hoped to become a personal trainer and claims her plans went on hold while Jesse tried to hit the big time.
His efforts paid off last year, when he scored the winning goal for the Red Devils in the FA Cup Final – but his rising fame caused serious problems. In January, X Factor singer Emily Wademan claimed the star begged her for a night out in Manchester on social media. She was floored.
She told her pal: “I lost my head and went to Dubai for a week and didn’t speak to him.
“Jesse promised me the messages were innocent but it put me on edge. By March he told me wanted space. He rented me an apartment for six months, I thought maybe he could have the summer and we could get back together.”
But the pal added: “Emma moved out of her apartment after four months when Jesse stopped her allowance.”
Despite everything, Emma claims her biggest concern is her five-year-old son, who had a strong bond with Jesse – but has not seen him since their split.
“He really misses Jesse,” the friend said. “That is perhaps the saddest part of this. Jesse promised he’d see him.”
Emma has also told her pal she thinks Jesse is dating again. But she has also moved on – and has vowed never to go near another footballer.
Her pal said: “She is happy with her new man. He isn’t famous and he has a normal job.
“But we think Emma is still in love with Jesse and she’d take him back tomorrow.
"She’s heard rumours about him partying with other girls. She doesn’t miss the lifestyle he gave her, she misses the man she thought she knew.”
Getty Images
A pal of Red Devil Lingard insists heartbroken Emma was not treated badly
Meanwhile, a friend of Jesse said: “The break-up wasn’t unexpected, they discussed it for three months.
“He didn’t treat Emma badly. He wanted to make sure she was provided for.
“He lent her a car and gave her an apartment and an allowance for six months, so she had time to get a job and move on. He didn’t need to do that. All Jesse wants to do now is focus on his career.”
