Break up for love expert

Psychologist Robert Epstein made headlines around the world when he declared any man and woman could be taught to fall in love and form a lasting relationship - and set out to prove it.

Besieged by offers, the editor of Psychology Today magazine chose a South American beauty to make his soulmate.

But despite signing a "love contract", Dr Epstein will be spending Christmas alone after the object of his affections decided no amount of tuition could make her love him.

Dr Epstein, 50, now admits he made "some mistakes" after picking former ballerina Gabriella Castillo to prove his theory. With four children from two marriages, he chose her as his potential mate who would train with him to fall in love.

Announcing the experiment, he claimed: "I do know that we can fall in love with lots of different people. The idea that there's only one soulmate is nonsense sold to us by Hollywood."

After rejecting most of his suitors - including one woman who sent him an £800 airline ticket to join her on a private Caribbean island - he met Miss Castillo, a Venezuelan socialite, by chance on a flight last Christmas Day.

Less than two months later - on Valentine's Day - the couple signed a formal "love contract", promising to see a "love therapist" at least once a week, and agreeing "to be in an exclusive relationship with each other" while learning "to love each other with a love that is genuine, deep and ever growing". Miss Castillo, 40, then spent much of the summer with Dr Epstein, in between visiting her three children in Venezuela and there was even talk of an engagement.

But despite the efforts of a team of therapists and counsellors, the relationship foundered. Miss Castillo has gone home to her family, telling her suitor in a phone call: "I can't do it, I can't do it."

But Dr Epstein, who trained at Harvard and now works in San Diego, refuses to accept that his theories have been proven wrong. He maintained: "At one point I was able to say to her 'I love you,' and she said 'I love you too' back."

Dr Epstein thinks his first mistake was to get involved with a woman who had work and family ties in another country.

He also believes the romance soured in the face of an unrelenting media spotlight that saw photo spreads in magazines and TV crews filming all but their most intimate moments.

For the next stage of his experiment, he will recruit more than a dozen couples who have recently started relationships and match half with counsellors to help them fall in love. The other half will have to fend for themselves.

Dr Epstein has yet to decide if he will rush into another "love contract". But he said: "I did recently meet someone - and who knows?"