Jilted Groom Offers To Share His Honeymoon In eBay Auction: Proceeds Will Go To Charity

When Leicestershire, England, groom John Whitbread’s fiancé called off their Valentine’s Day wedding, he decided not to waste the prepaid $3,000 honeymoon to the Dominican Republic he had worked so hard for. So he opened an eBay auction offering to take the highest female bidder with him.

Whitbread’s fiancé, Amy, called off the wedding a few days after Christmas because of “pre-wedding nerves,” saying she wasn’t ready for marriage. John said he respected her for her honesty and they parted amicability.

Unfortunately, when Whitbread asked the travel agency he had booked the honeymoon trip through for a refund, he was told he could only get half of what he had paid.

Jezebel reports that he decided if he couldn’t get all his money back, why not go on the trip anyway and sell the other ticket? After all, as the Inqusitr reported recently, a Canadian man had found a woman to travel the world with him when he was left with paid-for plane tickets in a break-up, so why couldn’t he do the same?

“When I found out at the travel agent I could only get half my money back I was looking at other deals and places I could go but I thought, ‘No, I wanted to go on this holiday’. I called my best friend and he agreed so I headed straight to his house to make the eBay page,” the jilted groom told the Telegraph.

“Everyone I know is taken and I’d rather go and enjoy it with someone new that I’d never otherwise get to meet. I’m not looking for a relationship – this could be an opportunity for someone who has never had the chance to take a holiday like this before.

“I’m not looking for anything apart from a fun holiday,” he explained. “If the girl is sporty and wants to do some scuba diving with me that would be great too.”

The response has been overwhelming. So far, the bid to be Whitbread’s honeymoon partner is £6,000 (nearly $10,000 U.S.), and there are still five days left on the auction.

According to BBC News, the opportunity is only open to women, but Whitbread insists he is not ready for a new romance and only wants a “bit of a laugh.”

“Nothing sinister,” he says, “but if would just be nice to enjoy female company and relax for a couple of weeks. It would be nice to get a friendship out of it.”

Whitbread says he is willing to sleep on the sofa, and is hoping the honeymoon suite in the four-star hotel he booked has one.

The groom, who only expected to raise about £100, had originally planned to use the funds from the auction as spending money on the honeymoon, but now has decided to donate it to a British men’s cancer charity.

[Image via ABC News]