They say if if you love something, you should set it free – and it seems one woman has chosen to live by this motto.

It was a lobster’s lucky day when a compassionate diner ordered the crustacean for a whopping £175, only to set the creature free and release it back into the sea again.

The anonymous Swiss tourist had ordered the Catalan-style lobster with linguine while dining at swanky seafood restaurant Gente di Mare, in Golfo Aranci, Sardinia, Italy with her husband.

But when the live lobster was brought to the couple’s table, fellow diners couldn’t believe their eyes when the tourist freed it into water before chefs got the chance to cook it.

Antonio Fasolino, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother, Gianluca, and who also witnessed the bizarre moment said: ‘At first, I thought she was joking.

Woman orders £175 lobster at restaurant then releases it into sea

It was a lobster’s lucky day when an unknown Swiss tourist (pictured) ordered it for a whopping £175, only to set it free and release it back into the sea again

Fellow diners couldn’t believe their eyes when the tourist freed it into water before chefs got the chance to cook it

The woman had ordered the Catalan-style lobster with linguine while dining at swanky seafood restaurant Gente di Mare, in Golfo Aranci, Sardinia, Italy, with her husband

‘Then, I understood that the lady was serious and wanted to do a good deed. Seeing her joy and excitement, I was moved, too.

‘She was very happy and thrilled to have been able to fulfil this wish, and we were happy with her’.

Recounting the strange night in detail, Antonio said he remembers taking the lobster from the tank, before going on to weigh it in the kitchen.

He then told the couple it weighed almost two kilograms, and also revealed the price to be £175 (200 Euros).

The live lobster was then placed in a transparent bucket and placed next to the couple’s table.

But instead of salivating over her upcoming meal, the unknown woman asked if the lobster would ‘get hurt’ if she released it from a certain height.

After being reassured by those present that it wouldn’t, she gently dropped it through a metal railing at the restaurant as her husband and another person filmed.

As soon as it touched the water, the lobster swam away happily ever after to its newfound freedom.

Instead of salivating over her upcoming meal, the unknown woman asked if the lobster would ‘get hurt’ if she released it from a certain height

She left her seat before gently dropping it through a metal railing as her husband and another person filmed

As soon as it touched the water, the lobster swam away happily ever after to its newfound freedom

Meanwhile another lucky lobster was saved from the pot for a second time after being caught by the same fishing boat twice in two years.

The huge crustacean, which is believed to be about 80-years-old, was first caught in 2021 off the south Wales coast.

The unnamed angler who caught the lobster was fishing on a shipwreck for Conger eel when the 4ft long lobster went for his squid bait.

The fisherman, however, decided that due to the sea creature’s age and size, it was only fair to return the animal to the sea.

The very same lobster has now been caught again in the same area, after angler Joshua Hearn pulled the crustacean.

Another lucky lobster was saved from the pot for a second time after being caught by the same fishing boat twice in two years

He reeled it in and boat skipper Carl Bradley was stunned when he immediately recognised it as the one from two years ago.

Mr Bradley was able to positively identify it as it was missing the tip of one of its cutting claws which had been snapped off, probably in a fight with another lobster.

Fisherman Mr Hearn had his photo taken with the colossus crustacean, taking care to keep his hands away from its enormous bone-crushing pincer claws.

He then threw the lobster, which estimated to have weighed about 10lbs (4.5kg) back into the water safe and well.

The biggest ever lobster caught in UK waters was a 20lbs (9.07kg) specimen caught off Fowey in Cornwall in 1931.