I left my partner of 10 years for Ukrainian refugee who came to stay with us – now I want to MARRY her & start a family
A DAD who left his partner of 10 years for a Ukrainian refugee who came to stay with them has announced he wants to marry his new love and start a family.
Tony Garnett, 29, left his missus Lorna just days after 22-year-old Sofiia Karkadym moved into their home in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
He now wants to tie the knot with the refugee, who fled Lviv as the war with Russia raged, to commit to his new life with a new wife.
Despite only knowing each other for just two months, the pair proudly proclaimed they are feverishly "planning their life together".
Dad-of-two Tony is even hoping to reverse his vasectomy to start a family with his new girlfriend, while claiming his ex has stopped him from seeing their daughters.
He told : "I want to propose to this beautiful lady.
Read more on Sofiia and Tony
"I want to say that out of Putin’s evil has come something really good for me and her.";
The security guard, who has given up his job to care for Sofiia after she became partially blind, even wants to visit war-torn Ukraine to ask her father Ilya, 46, for his daughter's hand in marriage.
The 29-year-old continued: "She doesn’t quite understand it.
"I’ve explained to her that it is a respectful thing that British men do to go and ask a girl‘s father for her hand in marriage."
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But he has put his wedding plans on hold to ensure every aspect is perfect until they find a permanent home where they can settle.
Tony added: "I want to make it so special and so romantic for her.
"We’ve talked about marriage and that doesn’t mean that I can’t surprise her with the proposal.
"I’ll make it one that she will never forget."
And in a fitting declaration of his love, former tattooist Tony wants to give Sofiia an inking reading "Queen" to go with his "King" tatt.
She gushed: "I want to be his queen or his princess. I love him very much. I can’t wait for us to get married.
I want to say that out of Putin’s evil has come something really good for me and her.
Tony Garnett
"We are planning our life together. I want to be a mother. I want to have children.
"I am a young woman so it can wait a few years and I hope that Tony can have his vasectomy reversed so that we can become a family together."
The controversial couple have continued to hit the headlines since their unorthodox relationship began.
Sofiia moved in with Tony, Lorna and their two young daughters aged three and six, after the family offered to sponsor her UK stay.
Suspicious Lorna, 28, accused the blonde IT worker of "setting her sights" on her man just ten days in - seeing Sofiia back her bags.
But the mum was left heartbroken after Tony followed the Ukrainian out of the door, The Sun exclusively revealed.
After shocking the world with their taboo romance, Sofiia and Tony have become one of the most talked about couples in the country.
LOVE TRIANGLE
The dad beamed: "The reaction to us being a couple has just been mad!
"I picked up 5,000 Instagram followers yesterday and she got 7,000 for no reason at all. People are fascinated with us."
But the duo have also faced torrents of abuse, with some social media users threatening to start a petition to get Sofiia deported.
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.
"Everyone in the UK is thinking the same thing because I take a man from the family — but all of this is lies."
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It comes after lovelorn Lorna accused the 22-year-old of wearing low-cut tops and piling on makeup to impress Tony.
The newly single mum said she was left feeling like the "third wheel"; in her former relationship and "unwelcome in her own home".
