WITH glamorous bars, chic fashion and sexy Frenchmen, the life of TV’s Emily In Paris is a world away from Ila Smith’s.
But after binge-watching the Netflix romantic comedy, the mum-of-two booked a weekend break to the City Of Love with an old friend.
Just like the show’s main character, she couldn’t help falling for a local – and had a passionate one-night stand, despite having a partner back home.
Ila isn’t the only one to get swept up in a fairy-tale fantasy after being inspired by a fictional tale.
A recent poll by US streaming service Pluto TV found 13 per cent of people have cheated on a partner after getting the idea from a rom-com.
Model Ila, 40, says: “I love Emily In Paris.
“I used to watch it and think what an exciting life Lily Collins’s character had, moving to France from America, her career taking off and lots of exciting affairs.
“Mine was so boring in comparison and I longed for some excitement so I booked the trip.”
She and her pal spent their four-night break shopping, sightseeing – and chatting up French men.
Then, after her friend pulled in a bar one night, Ila got talking to a Parisian couple before the girlfriend left to go home.
She says: “The guy was called Jacques and he invited me back to his. It felt really naughty.
“We had very passionate sex.
“My sex life at home had got boring and predictable.
“I had no regrets. The thrill was definitely worth it.”
Back home in South East London, Ila’s fling made her realise her three-year relationship was not working and she says: “I confessed about the one-night stand a few weeks later and we split up.
“I felt guilty but it opened my eyes to how life could be.”
She is now single but says her Parisian fling has raised her standards when looking for a new partner.
She says: “I won’t settle for anything less now.
“And I still have Jacques’s number, if I go back to Paris again!”
