Dad Who Left His Partner For Ukrainian Refugee Invites Couple Into His Home
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A British dad who left his partner for a Ukrainian woman taken in by his family has invited another refugee couple into his home.
Tony Garnett from West Yorkshire made the headlines in May after leaving Lorna Garnett - his wife and the mother of their two children - for 22-year-old Sofiia Karkadym.
Sofiia fled the western Ukraine city of Lviv as Russia's attack on the country continued, and was welcomed into the Garnetts' home as part of the UK government’s refugee rehoming scheme.
Tony and Sofiia soon formed a close bond, and shortly after, the security guard announced that he was leaving the family to be with his new love.
Now that the pair are renting their own house in Bradford, the Daily Mail reports that they've taken in a new young couple - Sofiia Rastorhuieva, 19, and her 18-year-old boyfriend Illia Tronevych.
The pair were kicked out of the first Bradford home they'd been invited into after fleeing their war torn country.
After posting a plea on Facebook, Tony and Sofiia K gave them a place to say.
Speaking about their previous situation, Sofiia R told the outlet: "I am glad that Tony and Sofiia have come to help us. We were very unhappy at that place.
"We only had one small sofa bed to sleep on and it was very uncomfortable. We had to do their washing, the laundry and clean the place for them. We just didn't feel right there."
She continued: "We had nowhere to go. We are refugees from Ukraine. My hometown is Kremenchuk the same place where the Russians bombed a mall and killed many people last month."
Illia added: "We need some comfort and we also need some understanding right now. It was a very nice thing for Tony and Sofiia to do to invite us into their home."
As for Tony, he's received a lot of criticism online ever since his relationship made the news, but the 29-year-old dad-of-two insists that there's more to the story than meets the eye.
"I know people see me as this sort of cheeky chappy who hops from bed to bed because I left my partner Lorna and two daughters," he said.
"Nothing could be further from the truth. My relationship with Lorna had broken down for some years and we were living as brother and sister.
"Since Sofiia arrived I have managed to smile a lot and be happy again. I'm going to make her my wife."
He went on to say: "I am all about humanity and kindness and when I saw that these two Ukrainians needed help, I sat down and spoke with Sofiia about it.
"I asked her if she thought it might be a good idea to let them live with us for a while as we have a second room.
"It's not ideal because I don't have a lot of money myself and I need a job. But we need to help others."
Featured Image Credit: @sonya_dobrvlsk/Instagram
Topics: Russia, Ukraine, Sex and Relationships, World News, UK News
