John Heagney is a broken man. The woman he once loved and planned to marry, Elizabeth "Elle" Edmunds, is facing police allegations that she faked having terminal cancer to attract donations.

Mr Heagney, from the Newcastle suburb of Cardiff, was engaged to Ms Edmunds, who failed to appear in Belmont Court on Wednesday to face fraud charges.

Elizabeth Edmunds, pictured here after winning Miss Illustrated Pinup Australia. Credit:Stephen Wark

"All she wanted to do was get married before she died," Mr Heagney said. "We planned our wedding and her funeral at the same time."

They discussed details like "the songs she wanted at the funeral and the kind of flowers she wanted".