THE first words Sam Collins said when she was reunited with her mum after being missing for two weeks, were: "I'm sorry, I love you, you can hit me if you want."

But all that her relieved parents want to do now is celebrate the 18-year-old's safe return to her home in Maesglas Road, Newport.

missing persons investigation after the teenager left home on November 8 to visit a man she had met in a mobile phone chatroom.

Now Sam's parents, Andrew and Catherine Collins, who had been worried sick about their daughter, feel they "have won the lottery a million times".

Sam returned home safe and well on Thursday night.

Reluctant to talk about her time away in detail, Sam told the Argus she had been staying with a 27-year-old man in Plymouth whom she had met on a telephone chatline.

Police now stress they have no concerns about the time she spent away from home.

Sam said: "I thought it would be best for me to come home and keep in contact. I'm glad to be home."

Sam, who hopes to become a nursery nurse, said she was reluctant to contact her parents during her time away for fear they would disapprove of the age gap between herself and her new boyfriend.

She said: "I had no idea of the media attention."

Sam says she hopes to see her boyfriend again soon in Plymouth - and her parents say he is more than welcome to stay with them in Newport.

Mrs Collins, 38, said: "She phoned us from Newport station at about 10.30pm on Thursday, and it was like winning the lottery a million times.

"It was such a relief to hear her voice. She may be 18, but she is still our child. Last week I would have given my life just to hear her voice again.

"The first words she said when I picked her up were, 'I'm sorry, I love you, you can hit me if you want'."

She thanked all her neighbours and police for the support they gave during Sam's time away.

Earlier this week, police identified Sam on CCTV footage at a Tesco store in Plymouth, where she was buying cigarettes with her cashcard.

Mr Collins, 40, said: "I would like to thank the Argus, which has been tremendous with its coverage.

"If it can make other teenagers stop and think to communicate with people - just a phone call to say they are fine - then it's worth it."

He also praised family and friends who had printed leaflets and searched the Internet to try to find Sam.

Sam's two sisters, Tammy, 21, and Sophie, five, and brother Andrew, 12, are also delighted to have her back.

As the Argus revealed this week, Sam had left her family a letter, saying she had fallen in love and wanted to start a new life away from Newport.