Gable Tostee's ex: 'Why I had to leave him'

Lizzi Evans, whose real name is Elizabeth Smith, said she genuinely loved Tostee but was fed up with his "obsessive" cheating and drinking. Photo / Daily Mail Australia

Gable Tostee's ex-girlfriend has broken her silence about why she ended their turbulent relationship.

Lizzi Evans, whose real name is Elizabeth Smith, said she genuinely loved Tostee but was fed up with his "obsessive" cheating and drinking.

She said that she was able to overlook a few times and thought she had "got the cheating out of him".

But the final nail came when she flew back to New Zealand from Australia because her dad was in hospital.

"I left him for literally a matter of days and he was at it again. I found that impossible to overlook.

"He didn't ask about my dad once. I just feel stupid, I put myself out there for him but he didn't give me any thought - I was just disposable."

Evans met Tostee while he was awaiting trial over the 2014 death of his Tinder date, New Zealander Warriena Wright.

She supported him through the murder trial at which the 31-year-old was accused of terrifying Wright so much that she tried to climb over the balcony of his Gold Coast apartment to escape. Wright, 26, fell to her death. A jury found Tostee not guilty.

Evans told the Herald on Sunday that as the trial got closer Tostee became stressed and self-destructive.

"He started drinking heavily and became abusive. I think a lot of that came from rage at the police. He would develop extreme paranoia, let the tension build and then explode."

At the time she mounted an outspoken defence on social media - something she said she now regrets. In one post she accused Wright of being a "psycho drunk".

"I was just trying to explain, that's what she referred to herself as. The point I was trying to make was, two people had been drinking here - there was no point focusing on one person and shaming them. I was sick of reading the negative stuff online. I became fixated and wanted to get things off my chest... but maybe it was a bit impulsive."

Evans, 28, was raised in Havelock North and went to private school Woodford House.
She moved in with Tostee and his parents but is now back living in New Zealand. She hopes to return to Australia.

After the trial ended she said Tostee's obsession with meeting strangers online begin to intensify.

"He turned into a show pony, or a person everyone wanted to be friends with. I lost him to that too. I couldn't compete but I tried."

Last month Tostee made a fleeting visit to Auckland under his new name, Eric Thomas. Evans said he came over to see her briefly, but there's no chance of a reconciliation.

"I think it's done and dusted now. He has shown unacceptable behaviour and my friends think I deserve better. I don't think he sees he has a problem but he really needs to get help."

In a statement, Tostee told the Herald on Sunday that while he didn't deny cheating during the relationship, the other claims were untrue.

"I also believe the public is growing tired of hearing about every minute detail involving me and my personal life."