A father who ditched his family for a Ukrainian refugee has flown out to her warn-torn country to rekindle their whirlwind romance.
Earlier this year Sofiia Karkadym, 22, fled Ukraine as war struck and was welcomed into the home of Tony Garnett, his wife, and children. But 10 days after she moved in, Mr Garnett and Ms Karkadym began a romantic relationship. The security guard ditched his wife and moved with Ms Karkadym into their own home, telling media that they planned to spend the rest of their lives together.
However, the relationship quickly descended into chaos, with Ms Karkadym arrested twice in the space of just two days. She was released without charge both times. Mr Garnett, 30, previously told Yorkshire Live that there was "absolutely no chance" of them getting back together after her alleged drunken outbursts.
But now, just 10 weeks after they split, the Bradford man said he had forgiven her and has flown out to Ukraine to reignite their romance and meet her family. On his social media pages the couple can been seen laughing together while on a train in Ukraine. Speaking to Mail Online about getting back with Ms Karkadym, he said they can "make this work", adding that he planned to "take things slower" this time round.
Mr Garnett said he missed after their split and that previous rows relating to alcohol had been put to bed. He added: "She promised me she would never touch alcohol again and since that day I got to Ukraine to see her she hasn't touched any drink. And she hasn't back in Yorkshire either."
Mr Garnett threw out his young lover last October after a nunber of rows, including a furious bust-up as they marked his 30th birthday. Ms Karkadym then left the home and returned to Ukraine to be reunited with her family.
However, the couple kept in touch with regular video phone calls and last week Mr Garnett decided to go to see her. He flew to Poland and boarded a bus to cross the border before arriving a few hours later at her family home in a village a few hours from Lviv.
Speaking about what Ukraine was like, he said: "There were regular power cuts and the Russians fired missiles at Lviv when I was there. Luckily the Ukrainian defence systems intercepted them."
The couple have now rekindled their romance and have returned to live together in Bradford. Mr Garnett admitted he had received a lot of online abuse over his relationship with his girlfriend but he hoped people would now be more accepting.
Ms Karkadym said: "I was very upset when I came here because I left my family behind and I did drink too much. I have promised him that I will never touch any alcohol again and I have not drunk any. I love Tony very much and I would like to marry him when we can. I have really missed him."
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