Lovesick musician won’t stop playing piano on College Green until he gets his ex back

If you passed by College Green on Saturday, you probably won't have noticed the disheveled young man setting up a piano on the grass.

Bristol's biggest anti-austerity rally was by far the bigger attraction with its colourful banners and placards.

But Luke Howard, 34, from Bath has show to internet stardom with his "last throw of the dice" to win back the love of his life.

Picture courtesy of The Bristol Post

Luke told The Bristol Post: "She completely changed my life. My entire world shifted." The pair split up recently after a four-month relationship, leaving Luke devastated and heartbroken.

While most other people would send flowers, text or write letters, Luke thought that would only make things worse. Not knowing what else to do, Luke decided that playing would show her how much she means to him.

"I wanted to do something that she might see," he said. "To let her know how much I love her, that she can see it and then take it or leave it. I’ll play if it rains, if it snows, if I fall over or if I get arrested," he added.

Some of the online reactions to the story

Predictably the internet has not taken Luke's gesture well. The story swiftly went viral, with tweets dubbing it "stalking" "manipulative". and even "abusive controlling behaviour".

As far as we know, he is still there, playing for the woman of his dreams.