A Ukrainian refugee who fell in love with her UK host and ended up snatching the man has returned to her country after being dumped by him.
Tony Garnett, 30, ended his love affair with 22-year-old Sofiia Karkadym following a headline-grabbing romance which saw the security guard leave his family in May.
He left the mother of his two children, Lorna Garnett, only 10 days after Karkadym moved into their family home in Bradford, West Yorkshire to live with them due to the war in Ukraine.
But after four months of dating, Garnett dumped Karkadym.
Now she has no money and no accommodation. She has now packed her bags, headed to Poland and thereafter to her home in Ukraine even as the war against Russia continues.
‘I am going back to Ukraine because of the situation with me and Tony here in England,’ she told The Sun today.
‘I need some support from my family and because I have not seen them for six months. I need to go for myself and to look after myself.’
She added: ‘I have mixed feelings about my time in England.
‘There were a lot of good things but it became really hard for me and I didn’t expect all of the public reaction which was difficult.
‘But I have been left with a very good impression of people here. I am so grateful to everyone for the way they have been willing to help me and other people from Ukraine after the war.
‘There has been a lot of kindness. I didn’t think they would be so generous. It has been really nice.
‘I have no idea what the future holds for me now. I will spend time with my family and friends and then I will decide on the next stage of my life.’
Garnett, a security guard, drove Karkadym to the airport, the Sun reported.
Karkadym’s visa, which granted her emergency status for six months, was set to expire within weeks.
The relationship ended after Garnett’s 30th birthday when Karkadym allegedly tried to stab a knife into the wall several times, resulting in the police being called.
Yet Karkadym claimed their relationship saw her shoulder most of the housework while Garnett allegedly used her welfare cheques to pay the bills, enabling him to use his own cash to gamble online.
‘I will not let him win. Ukrainian women are strong. Vladimir Putin will not destroy us — and Tony Garnett will not destroy me,’ Karkadym told the tabloid at the time.
‘It will be a long and hard journey but I will rebuild my life and when I do I will be glad he is no longer a part of it.’
