TV's Mr Right proved to be unlucky in love last night as the dating show girl of his dreams turned him down.

In a dramatic twist, eligible bachelor Lance Gerrard-Wright rejected the viewers' favourite, former Tyne Tees newsreader Nicola Browning.

But after choosing her rival, Jeannie Marie Beebe, he found himself left in the lurch when she concluded his heart was not in it.

"I think you've chosen me because you have to choose someone," said 28-year-old American Jeannie.

Fifteen women originally took part in the show to win the chance of dating Mr Right, but have gradually been eliminated.

Nicola, 30, a public relations worker for BSkyB, who hails from Hurworth, near Darlington, had seemed certain to become the winner but Lance opted against her.

"She seemed genuinely shocked," said a spokeswoman for the ITV1 show.

Jeannie told the charmer: "I couldn't see how I was special to you in comparison with everyone else."

She said there had been "a lot of soul-searching" but it was her "gut feeling" to turn him down.

"At least I can stand by my convictions and know that I did what I thought to be the right thing at the time," she added.

After she was rejected, Nicola suggested Lance had not shown enough attention to the woman he finally chose. "It was too little too late and he's paid the price for that," she said.

Lance said after his rejection: "It's a sadness it didn't work this time round."

He said he thought there could have been something between him and Jeannie.

"I was very excited but if you're not there, there's nothing I can do about it.

"There's no guarantees on this show. We were given the chance, we all made the most of the situation but not everything always ends in roses."

TV bosses had high hopes for the show - fronted by Ulrika Jonsson - but it was shunted to a late night slot after struggling to pull in viewers at its original time of 9pm