A Ukrainian refugee who is now dating the man who took her in has shared how her family is ashamed of her and don't want to leave their house.
Sofiia Karkadym, 22, fled the Russian invasion in Ukraine, travelling from Lviv to Bradford, West Yorkshire, to stay with Lorna Garnett, 28, and her boyfriend of eight years, Tony.
The Ukrainian IT worker hit the headlines in her home country and in the UK after Lorna accused her of running off with her partner just ten days after she arrived in their home, which they shared with their two children.
READ MORE: Dad runs off with Ukrainian refugee 10 days after family takes her in
Sofiia has denied she is a homewrecker, and insists that nothing happened between her and Tony until after they left the couple’s home, as the Mirror UK reports.
She claimed Lorna had driven them together with constant suspicions, The Sun reports.
Sofiia also said her parents are ashamed of her.
She said: "My parents said they were ashamed and cannot even go outside because of me.
“They say that because of me nobody in the UK will take in Ukrainians.
“Every UK family will now think ‘I can’t take in a refugee because she will take my husband from me’."
She added that Lorna's "constant suspicions" and "the tension" just pushed her and Tony closer together.
"It was my decision to leave when I did and Tony decided to come with me," she said.
Emotionally recounting her memories from the first day of the Russian invasion back in February, Sofiia from Kyiv explained how much her life changed instantly.
Forced to leave behind her job, routine and friends, Sofiia decided her safest option was to seek refuge in the UK and posted her application for a sponsor on the Opora Homes for Ukraine site in April.
After logging onto the site, Tony claimed he came across Sofiia's details first but was frustrated at how slow the process was moving and began discussing the move over Facebook.
Sofiia travelled from Ukraine to Germany before landing in Manchester on May 4, where Tony picked her up.
After her horrific ordeal, Sofiia claimed all she wanted was someone to talk to but claimed Lorna would question why Tony was spending time watching telly with their guest every night.
The pair admitted that they had been "attracted to each other" but respected the boundaries and insisted "nothing happened" until they had left Lorna and her home.
Sofiia added that she had decided to leave after Lorna was "complaining every day" and tensions were rising - adding that it was Tony's decision to follow her.
Tony claimed "it was a no brainer," adding that he would "rather be on his arse and happy".
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