A woman has rejected claims that she is living as Charlotte Bronte.

Stories recently published in national and international newspapers alleged dressmaker Lyn-Marie Cunliffe, of Oxenhope, “lived in a time-warp” and spent her days dressed as the famous literary figure. The 49-year-old, who gives talks to schools and nursing homes and attends events in historical dress, was pictured in a fast-food restaurant and shopping wearing late Victorian dress.

She said she had been told the article – by a news agency – would be about tourism and her business Abigails Ateliers. She said: “I have spent three years building up my business and now I am afraid it is ruined.

“I spent a lot of time building up my online presence and now when you put my name into a search engine there is a story about a crazy lady who thinks she is Charlotte Bronte. I don’t believe anyone would want to employ me now.”

Mrs Cunliffe, whose interest in historical costume was sparked after she completed a history degree, has hand-made 50 dresses, including medieval, Tudor and Edwardian gowns.

She was employed for three years in Haworth to entertain tourists and dressed as Jane Eyre for the Bronte Parsonage to promote the recently released film of the same name. She said her authentic dresses could take up to two hours to put on and take off, meaning she sometimes did her shopping on the way home from work without getting changed.

The mother-of-two said she did not spend leisure time dressed as any historical character.

“The story says I do the school run dressed as Charlotte Bronte,” she said. “My children are 23 and 27 and I don’t drive so why would I say that. I also don’t call my husband Mr Rochester and I don’t spend my time reading romantic fiction.”

Ann Dinsdale, of the Bronte Parsonage Museum, said: “I think it is great she is so passionate about what she does. She is quite knowledgeable about Bronte costume and extremely pleasant. The stories won’t affect us working with her in the future.”