lease

Panorama – which has seen leaked invoices, bank statements, details of rent payments and lease agreements – asked Nicholas Parton, head of forensic accounting at Opus Pear Tree, to examine the school’s finances.

In a statement, Spirit said the bankruptcy process - known as Chapter 11 - will not impact employee pay or payments to aircraft leasing companies.

All 12 of the small businesses spoken to by the BBC claimed sales representatives had not drawn their attention to the third-party lease agreement or extra charges.

The previous May, the lease for the shop came up for sale and was duly bought by Benjamin Wolfe, a man in his 60s.

That trauma still haunts her - but her unexpected global fame has given her a new lease on life.