Ukrainian refugee whose partner dumped wife to be with her says she 'didn't steal him'

25 June 2022, 19:51 | Updated: 25 June 2022, 22:37

A Ukrainian refugee who began a relationship with a British man which led to him leaving his wife for her says she "did not steal anyone".

Sofiia Karkadym escaped Lviv among thousands of her fellow countrymen to come to live in the UK during the Russian invasion.

The 22-year-old moved in with Tony Ganett, 29, after he offered to become her sponsor on social media.

He left his then-partner, Lorna, 28, to start a new life with Ms Karkadym just over a week after she arrived in the UK.

Ms Karkadym has hit back at criticism for starting a relationship with Mr Ganett, a father of two.

Writing on her Instagram page, she said: "Finally, I decided to write a post about world-famous recent events.

"The first thing I want to say is that I did not steal anyone from the family.

"It was his conscious and considered decision, the decision of a 29-year-old man who has the right to fall in love, has the right to be happy and has the right to choose who to be with."

She went on: "The second thing I want to cover is the concept of the 'yellow press'. Do you really think that someone can be abducted from a happy family in 10 days?

"Why so much attention to my story, if it is clearly exaggerated and written in such a way as to be as dramatic as possible?

"Anthony and I are fine.

"Therefore, those who supported me from the very beginning and knew that behind any of my actions there is something real and wonderful - thank you.

"The rest - you will be disappointed in your judgements," she wrote, with a winking face sign-off.

The couple has previously spoken about how they would try to find excuses to brush past each other at home.

Read more: Father-of-two dumps partner after falling for 22-year-old Ukrainian refugee

Mr Ganett said he had just wanted to do the right thing by letting Sofiia live with them as she fled Russia's attack.

He apologised for what happened but felt strongly about his relationship with the Ukrainian IT manager.

He previously told The Sun: "It began with a simple desire from me to do the right thing and put a roof over the head of someone in need, a man or woman.

"We're sorry for the pain we've caused but I've discovered a connection with Sofiia like I’ve never had before."

Mrs Garnett told The Sun previously that she believed Ms Karkadym "set her sights" on her husband "from the start… she wanted him and she took him".

"She didn't care about the devastation that was left behind. Everything I knew has been turned on its head in the space of two weeks."