For months, Lauren waited patiently at home while The Block's heartthrob Ricky Recard finished filming so the lovers could fly off on a romantic trip to Mexico. But when he returned, he broke her heart instead

The Block's heartthrob Ricky Recard has been branded a love rat by his jilted ex after he dumped her on the eve of their dream trip overseas to hook up with a married make-up artist he met on the show.

The 34-year-old plumber broke up with Lauren Smith after she had waited three months at home for him while he filmed the new series of Nine's reno show on Phillip Island.

Just days after the split, he revealed he was now dating married mother-of-two Erin Lee who had broken up with her heartbroken husband to be with the show's star.

To add insult to injury, Recard jetted stright off on holiday with his new lover, leaving Lauren to go on their romantic getaway to Mexico for her 30th by herself. 

'I was absolutely blindsided,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I spent three months looking after his dogs and his house while also helping his employee with the business.'

Ms Smith said the couple had an overseas holiday arranged to celebrate her milestone birthday, which would have been the first trip away from her young daughter.

'We were due to go at the beginning of July for my 30th birthday but we broke up about two weeks after he got back from filming,' she said.

'I found out while I was in Mexico that he had apparently begun a relationship with Erin during the time I was away.'

Recard, from Melbourne, has proudly boasted of his budding relationship with 40-year-old mum-of-two on social media.

The couple flew to Port Douglas in Far North Queensland last month and 'hard launched' their relationship on his private Instagram page.

He posted an image of the couple together with the caption: 'Beach time with this stunner.'

On Thursday Ms Lee also shared of her with Recard, with the message: 'Sometimes the path we never planned leads us to brighter things and the happiness we always needed. 

'Trust the journey.'

Ms Lee's estranged husband Lucas Day - who is a lookalike for love rival Recard - insists his wife only hooked up with the Block tradie after their marriage ended

'We are separated now and I've dealt with it,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'They got together after we split when he got back from Mexico in July and we were done then.'

Day also agreed he bears a striking resemblance to Ms Lee's new lover, calling the similarity between the pair as 'strange'.

'It is a bit strange, it definitely is,' he said.

In a recent interview with New Idea, Recard confirmed his new lover, but didn't identify her.

Biazrrely though, despite her working as a make-up artist on The Block, he claimed she not know of his role on the show.

'I can definitely say she was impressed, and why wouldn't she be?' he said.

'The reason why she was impressed was not because I'm on The Block. She thinks it's pretty funny. 

'She didn't know I was on The Block when we started seeing each other.'

He even claimed she poked fun at him and joked she was now dating 'someone famous'.

Recard also responded to viewers who have called him the heartthrob on this year's hotly-anticipated 20th anniversary series.

He has won female fans, with many viewers naming him their all-time celebrity crush as they swooned over his rugged looks.

Fans have also been left charmed by his positive attitude and cheeky sense of humour, taking to social media to claim Ricky's Yellow Team as their favourites.

The plumber laughed off being called a celebrity crush as he insisted he is not famous enough to be given the label.

'I don't know if I consider myself a celebrity, seriously,' he told Yahoo Lifestyle. 

'I think as a celebrity, you've got to have a fair resume, right? Like Shelley [Craft], she's got The List - Saturday Disney for years, Funniest Home Videos, The Block.

'She's an Australian icon and I'm just an absolute nobody. But if people want to have a crush on me, that's cool. I appreciate the love.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Recard and Nine Network for comment.