Yann Samuelides, 35, millionaire banker and managing director of Goldman Sachs, offered an escort girl £500,000 to leave her pensioner husband, the court was told.

He became so infatuated with the Slovakian escort girl, 28-year-old Alzbeta Holmokova, that he wanted to make her his wife.

Ms Holmokova’s husband Denis Morley during a bitter divorce hearing said Mr Samuelides threatened to kill himself if she stopped seeing him.

He had even rented a luxurious flat for her before offering his £500,000 marriage proposal, he said.

“He bribed her to leave me,” he said. “My wife had told him that she loved and respected her husband. She said she was happy and had to refuse him.

‘He threatened to commit suicide if she stopped seeing him. So I said, “You’d better keep seeing him”. ‘His response was, “Here’s a £5,000 diamond ring, here’s a £1,500 handbag and £3,500 cash”.

Eventually he said, “Leave your husband and come and live with me and I’ll give you £500,000”.

“She has told me that she’s with him for the money,” he told the hearing. “She’s not going to get the £500,000 unless she marries him.”