Lembit Opik is election casualty in Montgomeryshire

Lembit Opik talking to BBC Wales minutes after losing his seat

Flamboyant Liberal Democrat Lembit Opik is a casualty of the 2010 general election after losing his seat.

Conservative Glyn Davies overturned 7,000 strong majority in a result which left him surprised.

He had held the Montgomeryshire seat for 13 years and often made the headlines for non-political issues.

They included break-ups with a weather presenter and then a pop star, TV appearances, and a call for a plan to stop asteroids hitting the earth.

Mr Opik, 45, said he was surprised to have lost out to Glyn Davies, a former AM who had been supported in his campaign by a last-minute visit from Conservative leader David Cameron.

But in his farewell speech an emotional Mr Opik said he had also recently developed a "very strong spiritual faith" for which he thanked people in his constituency.CPS:IMAGE ORDER="2">

During his years as the Montgomeryshire MP, Mr Opik served as the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

He stepped down from that role to run for the role of Liberal Democrat president in 2008.

But he was unsuccessful, and by then he had become more recognised as the partner of one half of the Cheeky Girl pop stars, Gabriela Irimia.

The pair were never far from the headlines and picture opportunities until she announced they had split, three months after it was announced they were to marry and also after she had revealed that she had miscarried his baby.

Four years before that there was another very public split with Welsh weather presenter Sian Lloyd, to whom he had also become engaged.