Xaio Li, 22, watched horrified as Wang Xue, 22, swallowed the £500 necklace he'd baked inside a special muffin for her birthday party in Qingdao, Shangdong province.

"I thought it would show how much I love her and it would be a good joke too," he said.

"But before I could say anything she'd swallowed it in one bite and I had to tell her the truth on the way to hospital."

After X-raying Xue, surgeons decided to operate to remove the necklace. She underwent endoscopic surgery where a probe was put down her throat and into her stomach to fish out the necklace.

"She got her necklace back eventually, but I'm not sure she will ever feel very comfortable wearing it even though I spent hours cleaning it for her," explained Xiao.