Klaus Schweikert first met 'Lucie', 27, when she came to his Austrian home

The 58-year-old married the prostitute in a Pretty Woman-style romance

But three weeks later he was involved in a road crash and left seriously ill

Lucie, from the Czech Republic, is now believed to have a new boyfriend

An Austrian millionaire who married a prostitute in a Pretty Woman-style romance has been left penniless after she fled when he was left seriously ill following a road crash.

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Businessman Klaus Schweikert, 58, first met 'Lucie', 27, when she came to his house in Horn in northern Austria after a business trip to Germany.

The pair married in a fairy-tale ceremony - but just three weeks later, Schweikert was involved in a crash and was hospitalised.

Businessman Klaus Schweikert (right), 58, first met 'Lucie', 27, (left) when she came to his house in Horn in northern Austria after a business trip to Germany

The pair married in a fairy-tale ceremony - but just three weeks later, Schweikert was involved in a crash and was hospitalised

At first she came to see him in hospital every day, but the visits started to dry up.

Lucie, from the Czech Republic, now has a new boyfriend and has left, taking her expensive jewellery, Audi A8 and other assets, according to Heute.at.

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Schweikert has since claimed he has has lost most of his investments and according to Heute, one friend told a local newspaper: 'The situation now is far from pretty.'

The businessman had worked on several large projects in Germany before leaving his job to manage his own business that included property among other investments.

He has previously described how he met Lucie when he arrived home to an empty house after a business trip.

Lucie was seen crying at the wedding ceremony, which was attended by her mother and friends of the family

He said: 'I had been away a long time and when I finally got back to my home here in Austria, it was cold and empty.

'The whole house was covered in dust because I had been away for so long, and when my friend came round to visit me he noticed that I seemed a bit depressed.

'That was when he suggested inviting someone round, and before I knew it he had rung the local brothel and arranged for a girl to make a house visit.

'I had never visited a brothel before or been with a prostitute, and I wasn't in favour but when I open the door, and I saw Lucie standing there, I fell in love instantly.'

He said that instead of having sex, he had invited her for champagne and had made her a meal, and the couple had spent the two hours he paid 400 Euros (£291) for in conversation.

'It felt as if I had found my other half,' he is quoted as saying at the time. 'She felt the same, and rang her boss to tell him she was going to spend the rest of the night with me, and not charge anything.'

After that they developed a relationship, and Lucie, who had worked for three years in a local brothel, showed no hesitation when he asked her if she would marry him.

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Lucie was seen crying at the wedding ceremony, which was attended by her mother and friends of the family.

The 1990 film Pretty Woman, which is set in Los Angeles, sees Julia Roberts as Vivian, a down-on-her-luck prostitute who agrees to become a one-week escort for wealthy businessman, Edward Lewis, played by Richard Gere. The movie ends with the pair going off in the sunset together.