A dad who left his girlfriend for the Ukrainian refugee they had taken into their home has said he has now quit his job to become her full time carer.
Tony Garnett said he felt the move was the "right thing to do" after his new partner Sofiia Karkadym went partially blind.
The 22-year-old refugee contracted an eye infection whilst making her way from Germany to the UK after fleeing her war-torn home in Lviv.
READ MORE: Dad who ran off with Ukrainian refugee just days after family took her in says ‘I’m not a monster’
Tony, 29, explained that Sofiia's condition, similar to an amoeba, has damaged her vision and said she needs six months to recover after surgery in England.
The couple are now living together in Bradford, West Yorkshire, after Tony split from his long-term girlfriend Lorna, 28.
The dad, who owns his own security company, also revealed that he is no longer allowed to see his kids.
Defending their new relationship, Tony insisted Sofiia is "no homewrecker" and that she had been unfairly accused of breaking up his relationship when they fell in love.
The pair received backlash after Tony's former partner told of how the two had decided to be together just over a week after Sofiia arrived at their home.
"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," he told the Metro.
"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.
"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."
Despite facing a torrent of online abuse every day, Tony said the new couple are doing "brilliantly" together.
However, the pair have faced financial difficulties following Sofiia's eye operation.
Tony said, "a weight has been lifted off our shoulders" after they moved out of the home he shared with Lorna and into their own place.
They initially moved out to his mother's home, where he said they found the spark that led to global headlines before moving into rented accommodation and taking in a Bengal cat.
However, the council has said it needs to be adapted before they can claim support under the Homes for Ukrainians scheme in the UK.
The couple may now be forced to move for the third time after representatives visited the property as part of safeguarding checks under the scheme.
Officials said changes would need to be made to the windows and fore exits which the couple has requested from their landlord.
However, despite their obstacles, Tony said their long term goals have not changed as the couple plan to go into business together.
The ex-tattoo artist said Sofiia could work in beauty or IT as she finishes the final modules of a university management qualification.
While he describes himself as a musician and is putting material together to share online based on his experiences of finding love with Sofiia.
He said: "In terms of the public, they don't have a clue. I am quite thick-skinned - there's two sides. I am getting men messaging me saying, 'I wish I could do the same to my wife,' and women asking me to run away with them.
"Sofiia is getting abuse, people calling her a home wrecker, and people talking about petitions to deport her."
He added: "I want to tell the truth. She is not a home wrecker. I chose to move her here to save her (from the war).
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