A former substitute teacher in the US who has turned to stripping to support herself after an affair with a student claims she is the real victim.

Former Iowa teacher Mary Beth Hagling, 24, revealed to Dr Phil on Monday that times have gotten so tough for her since the charges were laid that she has now been forced to turn to stripping under the stage name Bambi to make ends meet.

Hagling claims the boy, 17, seduced her with fawning love letters written on Post-it notes and twisted her brain into accepting the pair could have a secret relationship.

"He did so with such intelligence and such an elevated vocabulary that I was completely duped by the whole facade," Haglin said.

In one love note written by the teenager, he allegedly told Haglin - who was also a part-time as a waitress while working as a substitute teacher - that her smell drove him crazy.

"I love the way you smell like pizza. It drives me crazy wanting a piece of the crust," the 17-year-old allegedly wrote.

Haglin has admitted to having sex with the 17-year-old almost every day for nine months in their cars or at the homes of his parents.

She also claims the boy convinced her to send him nude selfies, which he reportedly shared with school friends.

"I don’t know what was going through his brain," she said.

"He thought it would be cool... Bragging rights... I don’t know."

Haglin has refused to take any responsibility for her role in the affair, claiming the underage Casanova had seduced her during a vulnerable time when she was having problems with her boyfriend.

The relationship became known when a female student of Haglin's noticed how suspiciously the pair were acting and reported it to her mother, who took action.

Haglin was fired from her job in May following an internal investigation and arrested in July.

She pleaded not guilty to a charge of misdemeanour sexual exploitation by a school employee last month.