A timid boyfriend decided breaking up face-to-face was just too much, so he texted his partner claiming he was on a 'secret mission' overseas. When it comes to creative excuses, this relationship evader takes the top spot for covert breakups and awkward exit strategies.

According to the Uswitch survey, Brits rank ditching friends as even tougher than a romantic partner—while one bloke dumped via a pizza box note, another feigned a James Bond-style “deployment.” No wonder “breakup avoidance tactics” are trending across UK relationship forums.