A bride who had her wedding day derailed after being pelted with black paint has opened up about the ongoing trauma she has suffered after the incident.
In May 2024, Gemma Monk was preparing to walk down the aisle at Oakwood House in Maidstone, Kent, when she heard her name called.
Believing someone had stepped on the back of her dress, the 35-year-old turned around, only to be hit in the face by black paint hurled by her sister-in-law, Antonia Eastwood.
Eastwood, who had not been invited to the wedding due to a previous family feud, fled the venue moments after, leaving Gemma and her husband-to-be, Ken, reeling from what had just happened.
Advert
The couple persevered and were able to tie the knot two hours later, after someone was able to source a replacement dress for Gemma; however, the trauma of her sister-in-law's actions has had a lasting impact on the mum-of-two.
Nearly two years on from the ordeal and Gemma still struggles with her mental health, with the care worker revealing that she has 'lost all my dignity and good habits in life'.
The Monks ultimately pressed charges against Antonia, who is married to Gemma's brother, with the 49-year-old being slapped with a 10-month suspended sentence, 160 hours of community service and a £5,000 fine.
She was also handed a 10-year restraining order.
Telling the court about the impact of Antonia's actions, she said: "To have paint thrown over me by my brother’s wife changed my outlook on life and made me question whether I had done something really bad, whether I had done something wrong.
"Since the incident, if it wasn’t for my children or my family, I don’t think I would even get out of bed to care for myself."
She added: "I have lost all my dignity and good habits in life. I have lost who I used to be."
Gemma alleges that Antonia's actions were in retaliation for false accusations that she'd attempted to trip Antonia up at her wedding to Ashley Eastwood in 2023, prompting the start of the feud between the two women – claims which she denies.
Ashley has since shared his and Antonia's side of the story with The Mirror, claiming there was more to the feud than the alleged incident at his wedding.
"There's more to it. But she’s been punished now, she's suffered more than enough," he said, adding that he doesn't 'want anything to do' with his sister.
"We want it over and done with," he added. "I can't believe it's taken 18 months to get to this."
Brenna Cooper