A timid boyfriend decided breaking up face-to-face was just too much, so he texted his partner claiming he was on a 'secret mission' overseas. When it comes to creative excuses, this relationship evader takes the top spot for covert breakups and awkward exit strategies.

When the girlfriend eventually spotted her “undercover” ex at a local Tesco, the legend of the bloke who fakes ‘secret mission’ abroad was born. If all else fails, remember: some would rather feign MI6 duties than simply say, “It’s not you, it’s me.”