I left my partner for a Ukrainian refugee – now I’m her full-time carer after she went blind, it’s the right thing to do
A BRIT who left the mother of his children for a Ukrainian refugee has revealed his new girlfriend has gone blind - and he's become her carer.
Tony Garnett, 29, left his missus Lorna just days after 22-year-old Sofiia Karkadym moved into their home in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Sofiia, who fled Lviv as the war with Russia raged, suffered an eye infection in Germany as she travelled to the UK.
She is now partially blind, and faces a long recovery after an op to restore her vision.
Tony told : "I’ve given up work to become her full-time carer.
"Because she hasn’t received a national insurance number yet and can’t work I’ve had to fund everything myself.
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"I don’t get anything for being her carer because she is not claiming benefits. It’s the right thing to do, I can’t be a man without looking after my woman.
"But it’s not about money, we just want to get on our own feet and start our new chapter in life as soon as possible."
Sofiia moved in with Tony, Lorna and their two young daughters, who are aged three and six, after the family offered to sponsor her UK stay. Ten days later, Lorna, 28, accused the blonde IT worker of setting her sights on her man.
Sofiia packed her bags, but Lorna was left heartbroken after security guard Tony followed her out of the door.
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The new couple have faced torrents of abuse, with some social media users claiming they'll start petitions to get Sofiia deported.
Tony said: "People are painting her as a villain who has come to the UK and stolen a British man. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was a mutual decision.
"It wasn’t as if we had met each other and decided then and there to move out. I was leaving regardless, because I’d had enough of Lorna, who took against Sofiia straight away."
He said he "just wanted to take Sofiia away and look after her".
"She's not a homewrecker," he said.
"I left to help her, and what happened after has happened, but it takes two to tango. She is being called a homewrecker on social media while I am having messages saying congratulations."
Sofiia told The Sun her own parents have disowned her after she moved out with Tony.
“My parents said they were ashamed and cannot even go outside because of me," she said.
"I have people writing to me saying I’m a horrible person, that I did a bad thing for my country.
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“Everyone in the UK is thinking the same thing because I take man from the family — but all of this is lies.”
However, Lorna claimed Sofiia "set her sights" on Tony from the moment she arrived, wearing low-cut tops and putting on make-up for his return from work.
