'I'm truly under the thumb': Is this Britain's most henpecked man?



Mike Jeffries with an award for being Britain's most henpecked man

He watches girly box-sets, wears boots because his partner saw them on TOWIE, and he always sits down to go to the loo so his other half doesn’t have to lift the toilet seat up - meet Britain’s most ‘under the thumb’ bloke.

Henpecked Mike Jeffries, 25, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, always has to sit down when he goes to the toilet so his controlling other half Joanna Felicitas, 23, doesn’t have to put the seat down later.

Mr Jeffries admits his fiancee, who he proposed to in 2009, carries out regular spot checks during his trips to the loo - and even phones him if he takes too long.

The sports coach, who owns his own football academy, was also banned from spending time with his best friend Keith - after Joanna became worried people would think they're in a relationship.



'I have to accept that I am truly under the thumb and changes need to be made,' he said.



'She’s a bit funny about the toilet seat. But I’d rather sit down because I can read the newspapers or my phone.

'She will check up on me and she will go mental if the seat is up. I will be in there and if I’m in there too long reading the sport on my phone, she will phone me and give me a cheeky call to ask what I’m doing.

'Another time she thought for a second that me and a mate were going out, she thought we were gay because there was too much bromance going on.

'I told her a story about us getting drunk once and waking up next to each other and she took it the wrong way.

'So she ordered me to spend less time with my best mate Keith.' And as well as telling him what to do, Miss Felicitas even controls what he wears - with the sports coach often forced to don well-style leather boots - just because Arg from infamous reality show The Only Way Is Essex owns a pair.

Mr Jeffries with his partner Joanna Felicitas who forces him to watch girly box sets and calls him if he takes too long in the toilet

'She likes to try and dress me up,' added the 25-year-old, who lives with Miss Felicitas and their two-year-old son Mason.

'Recently she has been trying to get me to wear these skinny jeans but I haven’t got the physique for it.

'There was one time she brought these leather boots back. She had seen Arg on The Only Way Is Essex wearing them and thought I could pull them off.

'I think he looks like a idiot though, I’ve worn them out a few times but I don’t like them. I don’t think I could pull off the skinny jeans tucked into the boots look.'



James Argent from TOWIE

After a six-week hunt for the most henpecked man in the country, organisers at lads mag Zoo and Brighton based The Stag Company were in no doubt that Mr Jeffries should beat thousands of entries to land the dubious title.

Despite threatening to kill the mates who stitched him up, he has been forced to admit that their allegations were true - especially after revealing how he spent his Valentines Day.

'My initial reaction was to kill them, but I’d have to say the majority of what he said is pretty fair,' he said.

'Valentines night was a blinder. I have to admit I did not get a card till last minute. In the end I had a romantic meal with the missus, her sister and her partner.



'It was the full works: candles, rose; glasses and bucks fizz. To end the night we started to watch series 3 of Gossip Girl, which I bought for her.'



As part of his prize, Mr Jeffries and five friends will be treated to a weekend away in Newcastle - complete with a trip to a strip club and a casino.

And despite the usually strict regime, he revealed he would be allowed to go on the lads trip.

'She has calmed down a bit now and I am allowed to go,' he added.

'She ain’t happy about the trip, but a spa weekend softened the blow. Maybe one cheeky dance won’t harm, other than that I’ll be waiting outside as the boys have fun.'



But despite all the demands from his fiancee, Mr Jeffries claims he is incredibly happy and recently proposed.

Mike, with his friends, has proposed to his girlfriend despite complaining he is 'under the thumb'

'I proposed to her up the Eiffel Tower,' he said. 'I had the ring all ready but was thinking of backing out and doing it another time but then a man nearby proposed to his girlfriend and my other half gave me a look, so I did it there and then.

'I don’t regret it for a minute. Joking aside it is definitely worth putting up with everything.

'She really is great. She takes me for who I am and is my best friend as well.'

The search for Britain’s Most Under The Thumb Bloke was the brainchild of Mark Booth, Web copywriter at The Stag Company.



He said: 'This was just an idea I had one day, and thought it would be funny if we tried to find the most whiplashed guy in the UK.

