With their own country dealing with advances from Russia, many Ukrainians are fleeing their country as refugees. Many have made their way to England and some British families have opened their homes to the Eastern Europeans in need. Recently, one man ended up leaving his partner and the mother of his children for the 22-year-old Ukrainian refugee whom they invited to come to stay with them.
Refugee Taken in by British Security Guard
Tony Garnet, 29 years old, was living with his girlfriend, Lorna, 28 years old, in a house in Bradford, West Yorkshire with their two children. He worked as a security guard to earn a living. Their long-term relationship seemed to be without any issues, and at the beginning of this month, they decided to open their home to a young Ukrainian girl, named Sofiia Karkadym, who had escaped her war-ridden city of Lviv. Tony had wanted to do his part in supporting the people of Ukraine, so opened the doors to his home. He made a post on a Facebook group offering to house refugees, and Sofiia was the first to respond.
10 days after she arrived, Tony and Sofiia had fallen in love. This came as a surprise for Lorna, who was left with their two children.
In an interview with The Sun, Tony said, “It began with a simple desire from me to do the right thing and put a roof over the head of someone in need, a man or woman. But it was Sofiia who came into my life and that’s something I’ll always be thankful for.”
She “Fancied” Tony
Sofiia worked as a manager for an I.T company, and at first, she fled to Germany where she waited for weeks for her VISA to be approved for the UK. When it finally came through, she booked a flight and arrived in Manchester on May 4th. Tony described their bond as being instant, and he mentioned how his daughter and Sofiia also got along well. The only thing was that Lorna did not share her family’s fondness for Sofiia. Reportedly, she grew resentful over the connection they all shared. She suspected that something was going on with Tony and Sofiia behind her back. Sofiia admitted that she took a “fancy” to Tony the moment she saw him.
Lorna was not wrong in her suspicions, and it turned out that Sofiia and Tony shared a connection even though neither had acted on it. Tony described it to The Sun:
“At home, I realized we were finding excuses to touch and brush against each other, it was very flirtatious but nothing more than that happened at that stage. Although it was fairly innocent it was causing arguments. I can understand that. When I got in at night Sofiia would be the one who had made a meal for me to try.” Reportedly, Sofiia told Tony in private: ‘Lorna is lucky to have you.”
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Lorna argued with Sofiia
When Tony would get home at night, Sofiia had been the one to make a meal for him to enjoy. This only increased Lorna’s dislike for Sofiia, and the tension rose in the house quickly.
“[Lorna] started to get very jealous and was having major arguments with Sofiia, asking her why she was with me all the time and ‘Why are you following him around?’. The atmosphere was getting really bad,” said Tony. “Lorna was never that enthusiastic about having a refugee in our home because it meant the girls had to move into one room.
“But seeing that we were becoming close was too much. It came to a head last Saturday when she really went for Sofiia, yelling at her, using some harsh language that left her in tears. She said she didn’t feel she could stay under our roof anymore and something inside me clicked.
“I told Lorna, ‘If she’s going, I’m going. I knew I couldn’t give her up and all of a sudden it seemed like a no-brainer. We both packed our bags and moved into my mum and dad’s home together.”
They are Looking for an Apartment
Sofiia feels like she was not at fault for breaking up the relationship between Tony and Lorna. “As far as I’m concerned, they destroyed their relationship long before I arrived,” she said. “Their relationship was at fault. None of this is my work. It was my decision to leave when I did and Tony decided to come with me.”
Sofiia thinks that Lorna can only blame herself for losing her relationship. “Her constant suspicion, the tension, it just pushed me and Tony closer together. She created this situation by constantly suggesting something was going on when it wasn’t. So this is her fault … I’m not a home-wrecker.”
The two are focused on finding a new apartment for them to live in together. Both are thriving despite the tension their relationship came from. “I know it sounds s–t what has gone on, but you deal with the cards you’ve been dealt,” Tony admitted. “To me, the cards I got … It was a no-brainer. I’d rather be on my arse now and happy. I know I’ve done the right thing.”
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Sources:
- “How a love triangle between couple and Ukraine refugee led to heartbreak.” NY Post. Micael Kaplan, May 24, 2022.
- “Ukrainian refugee who broke up home of host couple blames ex-girlfriend.” NY Post. Selim Algar. May 23, 2022.
- “LVIV AT FIRST SIGHT – I took in a Ukrainian refugee to live with my wife and me… then ran off with her after ten days. We’re in love.” The Sun. Paul Sims and Kevin Donald. May 20, 2022