Real Housewives of Cheshire star Ampika Pickston recently became engaged

The 36-year-old met her fiancé, whom she would not name, on a dating website

Comes after Ampika was left 'bitterly disappointed' by exclusive dating service

She paid £15,000 for eight introductions - but gave up in the process after four

Reality TV star Ampika Pickston has revealed she is engaged following a whirlwind romance with a mystery man.

Beauty entrepreneur Ms Pickston, 36, who shot to fame on ITV's Real Housewives of Cheshire, met the businessman, whom she did not want to name, through an online dating website and he recently popped the question after just a 'short time' together.

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The glamorous mother-of-one described her fiancé as a 'breath of fresh air' who 'gets on fantastically well' with her 12-year-old son, Jake.

Ampika, who had previously tried expensive 'elite' dating services that left her disappointed, spoke to FEMAIL following the news that a wealthy London divorcee is suing an exclusive matchmaking service for her £12,600 'gold' membership, having failed to find love.

Blossoming relationship: Beauty entrepreneur Ampika Pickston, 36, who shot to fame on ITV's Real Housewives of Cheshire, revealed she has recently become engaged

Sparks flying: The mother-of-one, pictured, described her fiance as a 'breath of fresh air' and said he gets on 'fantastically well with her 12-year-old son, Jake

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Businesswoman Ampika said the expensive service she used, which cannot be named for legal reasons, was 'very appealing for a woman that's got it all', but in the end, it was an everyday matchmaking site that worked for her.

The divorcee and the dating agency Ms Burki outside the High Court In June it emerged that Tereza Burki, 47, who lives in Belgravia in London, had taken the exclusive Seventy Thirty dating agency to the High Court after they failed to find the divorcee a rich and successful man. The dating business, based close to Harrods in Knightsbridge, calls itself the 'ultimate matchmaking service' with an 'international membership comprising of men and women of affluence and influence'. But the Dutch City worker, a mother-of-three, is suing for her £12,600 'gold' membership fee, saying she was never put in touch with any of the bachelors whose profiles she was shown before handing over the cash. Meanwhile thecompany claims that Miss Burki's reviews on Google and Yelp, referring to Seventy Thirty as a 'scam' and 'fraudulent', were a 'malicious' attempt to ruin the business. Seventy Thirty denies her allegations. Miss Burki denies defamation and malicious falsehood.

It emerged at the end of last month that 47-year-old mother-of-three Tereza Burki has taken the dating agency Seventy Thirty to London's High Court after they failed to find her a partner.

The agency is counter-suing for defamation after she called it a 'scam'.

Ampika said of her own fledgling romance: 'He's got his own thing going on, he sold his business 10 years ago. He's a breath of fresh air; he gets on fantastically with my son; he is really easy going. Personality-wise, I think we're perfect together. He makes me laugh and I think we want the same things.'

The blossoming relationship is a far cry from the 'bitterly disappointing' encounters she had through an exclusive dating agency in London.

Two years ago Ms Pickston, the owner of Opium Hair and Beauty, in Hale Barns, Cheshire, turned to the agency for help finding the type of family-oriented, financially comfortable men she was struggling to find online.

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In exchange for the upfront fee of £15,000, the agency, which cannot be named for legal reasons, promised introductions to eight men who had supposedly been handpicked for her based on her requirements.

Ms Pickston said: 'It is very glamorous, very appealing for a woman who's got it all.

'The agency promised me the world.

They said "we've got amazing clientele on board, exactly what you want.

'We can't tell you specifics until we get your £15,000. But we can guarantee you that you'll go on "X" amount of dates and that those people will be pretty much tailor made to what you're looking for".'

Girl gang: Ms Pickston, right, with former Real Housewives of Cheshire co-star Leanne Brown, centre, and TV personality Lizzie Cundy

However after meeting just four of the eight men, it became clear the agency was unable to deliver on its promise.

The first man she met spent eight months of the year living in Africa; the second was so elderly Ampika wanted to 'check if he had a pulse'; the third was searching for a 'sugar mama' and the fourth, despite being a 'lovely chap', was in the process of a very acrimonious divorce.

While Ampika accepted the agency could not manufacture chemistry with someone, the men it had chosen for her were fundamentally incompatible on a number of levels.

I'm focusing on working really hard on my business and I don't know if I want to commit straight away. 'I've only been dating this person for a very short amount of time. So I'm frightened to rush in head first Ampika Pickston

She said: 'I felt like it was a numbers game, like the agency was saying: "We'll get Ampika on board, we'll sell the dream and we'll wheel out the golden oldies for her, they're very charming, very witty. But I was like: "There's got to be more than that".'

The mother of one, who divorced from ex-husband Mark Pickston following the birth of their son, said the experience left her feeling 'deflated'.

It was then she signed up to The Times dating in the hope of meeting someone more like minded.

Priority: Ms Pickston said she is focused on her business and her 12-year-old son, Jake

'I met some really fabulous people on there,' she said. 'Sometimes the chemistry's not been there but I've met some really nice and genuine people on there.'

It is through the website that she met the man who recently became her fiancé.

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However wedding bells are not yet in the air and the couple are focusing on continuing to get to know each other, rather than setting a date.

Ms Pickston said: 'I'm focusing on working really hard on my business and I don't know if I want to commit straight away.

'I've only been dating this person for a very short amount of time. So I'm frightened to rush in head first. I want to see how it blossoms before making a commitment as big as that.'