A multi-millionaire businessman who made the heartbreaking discovery that his three sons were not his own has been inundated with offers from women wanting to be his 'friend.'

Richard Mason, who co-founded price comparison site MoneySuperMarket, says he has no regrets about going public with the story.

The 55-year-old, who lives in Rhos on Sea, in Wales, with his wife Emma, who is not the mother of the children, revealed he was given the devastating news that he had cystic fibrosis two years ago at a hospital in Liverpool.

Richard Mason, pictured with ex-wife Kate and sons in 2014, has offered £5,000 for information to help find the biological father of the three boys he raised as his own

At the time he and second wife Emma were trying for a baby, but the inherited disease means male sufferers are unable to father children naturally, so the three boys he had lovingly brought up as his own could not be his.

After initial denials, his now ex-wife Kate admitted an on-off affair with a colleague during their 20-year marriage, but refused to name him and said they always used contraception.

The 55-year-old said the shock of discovering the truth left him contemplating suicide and is now planning to write a book about his experience.

The businessman said he has not heard anything from the three boys (pictured as children), but one of their childhood friends has contacted him

Since the story came out, Mr Mason says he has not heard anything from the three boys, although one of their childhood friends has contacted him to say what happy memories he has of staying at the family's home in Pembrokeshire and riding quad bikes with his sons.

The eldest is 23 and a budding businessman, while the 19-year-old twins are at university.

Mr Mason said: 'I don't have any regrets. I don't want to hurt the boys, and so I've only allowed the press to use very old photos of them (at least 13 years ago) and not to use their names.

'However, I felt it is an important story to say and raises awareness of an issue that affects many, many men who have brought up children only to later discover they were not the biological father.

'Since the story has come out, I've been contacted by at least 32 women from across the globe - from Indonesia, Singapore and Africa - wanting to be 'my friend'.

'I've got bad news for them: I'm only devoted to Emma.

'I've also been contacted by men who have been in a very similar situation to me, and from people whose children have cystic fibrosis, who have asked if I can help them financially.'

Mr Mason, pictured with wife Emma, said: 'I don't have any regrets. I don't want to hurt the boys, and so I've only allowed the press to use very old photos of them (at least 13 years ago) and not to use their names'

Mr Mason added: 'I'm letting the dust settle before I look into it all, but for now Emma and I have increased our security settings on our social media accounts.'

The multi-millionaire says that, since he made the revelations, he hasn't heard from his former wife Kate, who lives in Staffordshire but is understood to be on holiday at present.

The couple haven't spoken for two years but, in November, Mr Mason won a case which meant his ex-wife, who he was married to for 20 years, must pay him £250,000 of the £4m she got in their divorce settlement.

But the two-year legal battle also resulted in her being allowed to keep the identity of the children's biological father secret.

Mr Mason is now offering a £5,000 reward for information which will help him discover the identity of the man who fathered the children in the mid-1990s.