n her first television interview since Collins was convicted of harassment causing her fear of violence on at least two occasions Anna, from West London, revealed that although she left Collins over his behaviour it was actually her father who went to the police and convinced her to press charges.
She said: 'I didnât actually go to the police. When I left him on July 4, I just went home to my parents and slept in the spare room and for about two and half months I was just crying and looking at websites about domestic abuse because I was always one of these people who just thought, "I'd never put up with that. The minute someone swore at me I'd be gone".
But it was my dad who went to the police. I was reluctant to, but I spoke to them and they were amazing and I just thought there is no way I can let him get away with this because whoâs he going to hurt next?'
Anna Larke appeared on the show to give a voice to the other men and women stuck in abusive relationships
When asked why she put up with the abuse, she said: 'I absolutely adored him, he was the love of my life. In the beginning he was so lovely, but gently, ever so â I donât know how they do it, but the abuse is just sort of drip fed, and by the time that youâre in love and completely smitten and Iâve moved in with him and everything, then you think, "Oh my God, heâs a control freak" because Iâve got no friends now.
'When we were first together it was absolutely amazing. He was just so wonderful, kind, generous, lovely, love of my life actually, and I just thought to myself, "How on earth did I ever get so lucky?".'
Collins' controlling behaviour included stopping her speaking to friends and family, dictating what she should wear, taunts about her weight and pushing her in front of a moving car.
He even made her write down a list of anyone she had ever been intimate with on a pad of paper.
Anna said: 'By doing the pad he had a complete record of my past, which is the ultimate control and he would use it against me.'
Incredibly Anna told hosts Aled Jones and Lorraine Kelly that she doesnât know whether she still loves her ex.
She said: 'I think so, yes. I think so, I donât know. I'm so confused, my head is still kind of confused about it.'