Bizarre new twist in the story of the family who took in a Ukrainian refugee, only for the dad to run off with her 10 days later – he’s now had to give up work to become her full-time carer after she went partially blind. Wait, what?
Tony Garnett and Sofiia Karkadym have been in the tabloids a few times since the story made headlines back in May, defending their decision to run off together as ‘the right thing to do’ and insisting Sofiia is ‘no homewrecker’. They even went so far as to blame the whole situation on Tony’s nagging ex.
The couple have now fallen onto hard times after Sofiia had an eye operation after suffering an infection in Germany en-route to the UK. The infection has caused her to go partially blind and she’ll need six months to recover. As if that wasn’t enough of a headache, the council has said they will need adaptations to their new accommodation before they can claim support under the Homes for Ukrainians scheme. When it rains, it pours!
Tony has given up work at his security company to look after Sofiia, 22, who can barely see out of her right eye, and is now her full-time carer. Tony told the Metro:
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 so I’ve had to fund everything myself.
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 has been shocked at how bad some of the beauty salons are here and she wants to open a nail salon and I want to build the security business back up as we make a new life together.
That’s not all – Tony also likes to make music in his spare time and has promised to put out an album that will tell ‘the truth’ about what happened. Nothing like leaving your partner and two kids to run off with a Ukrainian refugee for a bit of inspiration, eh?
On his relationship with Sofiia and the grief they continue to receive:
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.
There was a lot of drama and a lot of stress when we lived with Lorna. Whenever I came home it was difficult for Sofiia and me to be around her at a time when we should have been helping a refugee make a new life here.
I just wanted to take Sofiia away and look after her, I wanted to help someone who was fleeing from Ukraine. She’s not a homewrecker.
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.
Well, let’s wish Sofiia a speedy recovery because no matter how you feel about the situation, I don’t think anyone wishes blindness (or even half-blindness) on the girl. Well, maybe Tony’s ex does but that’s not the point. Will be interesting to see where Tony & Sofiia’s relationship goes after she’s fully recovered and get her visa sorted and whatnot. Will they live happily ever after? And if not, will Tony go running back to his family? We’ll have to wait and see.
For the man who sued his cheating wife’s lover for £600,00 and won (!), click HERE.
