PM's right-to-buy poster girl revealed to be estate agent - who sold the flat to herself

PM visited Sharon Ray at her home, bought with Help To Buy, on Thursday

Last night it emerged she is sales director at the firm which sold the flat

Anonymous blogger also revealed she drives £33,000 BMW convertible

Ms Ray defends herself on Twitter saying she's 'done nothing wrong'



David Cameron was facing potential embarrassment last night over a high-profile publicity stunt to promote his controversial Help To Buy scheme.



On Thursday the Prime Minister visited the home of attractive blonde Sharon Ray, 30, in Southampton and sipped tea on her sofa while chatting to her about how the scheme had helped her get on the property ladder.



She appeared on BBC News bulletins talking about the advantages of the scheme while Mr Cameron played with her two-year-old daughter, Maisie.



Stunt: David Cameron with Sharon and Maisie on Thursday, when he visited her to promote the Help To Buy scheme which she used to help her get a foot on the property ladder with this flat in Southampton

Publicity: Mr Cameron's tweet about the meeting

But last night it emerged Ms Ray is a sales director at the estate agency which marketed and sold her the £145,000 two-bedroom ground floor flat last month.



Critics took to the internet suggesting viewers had been deceived and perhaps Ms Ray was not the deserving case she seemed.

The Help To Buy scheme is aimed at helping aspiring home owners who are struggling to get on the housing ladder because of spiralling property prices.



Although Ms Ray would be eligible for a mortgage under the scheme, controversy erupted when her professional background came to light on an online blog yesterday afternoon.



An anonymous blogger revealed that her professional name is Sharon O’Donnell and she is an award-winning sales director at nationwide chain Enfields.



It also highlighted that she drives a £33,000 BMW 3 series convertible and said she was married.



Soon after critics of the scheme took to Twitter to mock the apparent deceit. One tweeted ‘Mr Cameron and Ms Ray: Gobsmackingly audacious!’



Mr Cameron plays with Maisie's toys as Ms Ray looks on: It has since emerged that Ms Ray is in fact the sales director at the very firm of estate agents that handled the sale of the house - and that she drives a £33,000 car

Last night Ms Ray defended herself on Twitter. Posting as @shazlou1, she said she had a company car and separated from her husband six months ago.



She posted: ‘I’ve done nothing wrong, I work 39 hrs a week, everything I hve I have worked very hard 4. When was it a crime to work hard?’



Other Twitter users were more supportive. Financial writer Paul Lewis wrote: ‘No story here. #HelpToBuy not for poor. @shazlou1 has been clear.’



Ms Ray met the Prime Minister as one of the first 6,000 people to join the scheme, which enables buyers to get a mortgage with a five per cent deposit.



BBC cameras recorded Mr Cameron with Ms Ray and Maisie at the flat.

