A dad who left his girlfriend and two children to move in with a Ukrainian refugee who had come into their home a week before has now given up his job to become her full-time carer. Tony Garnett, 29, left home with Sofiia Karkadym, 22, from Ukraine a week after welcoming her into the family home.
Tony said his relationship with his ex has now broken down completely and he is not allowed access to his two children. And Tony has now revealed that he has had to give up work to care for Sofiia, reports The Metro.
Sofiia, from Lviv, contracted an eye infection in Germany on her route from Ukraine to the UK. The infection has damaged her sight and she now needs six months to recover after surgery in England - having been left partially blind.
The dad owns his own security company. Tony said once Sofiia has recovered they hope to go into business together. Sofiia, a tattoo artist, could work in beauty or IT as she finishes the final modules of a university management qualification.
Tony also describes himself as a musician and is putting material together to share online based on his experiences of finding love with Sofiia.
Defending their new relationship, Tony insisted Sofiia is "no homewrecker" and that she has been unfairly accused of breaking up his relationship when they fell in love.
He said: "In terms of the public, they don't have a clue. I am quite thick-skinned - there's two sides. I am getting men messaging me saying 'I wish I could do the same to my wife' and women asking me to run away with them.
"Sofiia is getting abuse, people calling her a home wrecker, and people talking about petitions to deport her."
He added: "I want to tell the truth. She is not a home wrecker. I chose to move her here to save her (from the war)."
