"George was ten years younger, charming and funny. Then he almost killed me"

A mum who almost died at the hands of an abusive partner has joined forces with a celebrity therapist to offer help to other domestic abuse victims. Emma Cranston was savagely attacked by a former partner, who forbid her to wear make-up and forced her to give up her job.

George Arathoon beat Emma so badly one night that she had to be air-lifted to hospital, yet tricked her into thinking she couldn't live without him. After eventually escaping the relationship, the mum-of-two has since retrained in psychotherapy and formed a friendship with TV therapist Robert Hisee.

Emma, 39, was attacked by her ex-partner Arathoon in February 2018. He was later handed a five-year prison sentence for the assault.

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She met George when he moved into her street in Cheshire in 2010. “George was 10 years younger than me, but we became pals and it went from there. He was very charming and funny, and I felt I could tell him anything," Emma said.

In 2013 they moved in together, but the relationship quickly became volatile and violent. “Each time he managed to convince me it was my fault, he told me I was as bad as him," she said.

“I started to think it was wrong to stand up for myself and I began to think I couldn’t live without him. I didn’t see my friends. I didn’t go anywhere without George.

“I wasn’t allowed to wear make-up or false tan or dress up nicely, and in the end, I just gave up. I suppose the fight just went out of me. It was easier to do as I was told.

“I had a good job in a call centre but he made me leave because there were other men there. I was living in a constant state of fear.”

In February 2018, George launched an attack that almost killed