A woman has defended her decision to sent $1.4 million to her online lover in Africa - who she has never met.

Twice-divorced Sarah met Chris Olsen online 18 months ago.

Though the mysterious man's accent has changed over time, and he keeps asking for money to be wired to various different countries, Sarah insists she is '95 per cent certain' that he is telling her the truth.

Despite his numerous attempts to come home so they can be together, she says, he keeps getting arrested on false charges.

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Convinced: Sarah told Dr Phil she still believes in love and is certain her online lover is telling the truth

In an interview with Dr Phil, Sarah explained that they speak for hours on the phone each day.

She described the moment they met on the internet: 'An attractive person came on there and said "wow you look like you wouldn't hurt a fly". I said "wow this guy's really handsome, I can't believe he's talking to me!"'

He told her he was called Chris Olsen, who hailed from Milan but moved to the U.S. 18 years ago.

Currently, she says, he is based in Africa on business, and has been for more than a year and a half.

When they met he said he was in South Africa. After a brief stint in Nigeria, he relocated to Benin, Sarah explained.

Within seven weeks of meeting, he professed his love in a gushing email that referred to her as 'Mrs Olsen'.

Romance: She claims they speak for hours on the phone and though his accent has changed from Italian to African she has not wavered in her belief that he loves her

And days later, he sent the first of many requests for money.

She has now sent him $1.4 million in total for hotel bills, calling cards, lawyers, an expired visa, stolen credit cards, and bail.

Last June, she even had to sell an apartment she owned to wire him $550,000 bail.

However, she believes he is trying his utmost to make it home.

Sarah concedes that there are suspicious elements to his story: 'When I first started talking to him,' she told Dr Phil, 'He sounded Italian now his accent's kind of changed I don't know if he's adapted to where he's at... in Benin.'