The husband of a wedding scammer who “preyed on people’s vulnerabilities” to con brides and grooms out of money has desperately asked her to sign off their divorce.
Dana Twidale admitted 26 counts of fraud after being accused of scamming couples ahead of their wedding day and fleecing her ex-boyfriend out of more than £10,000.
She had disappeared for two years but, to her victims’ relief, now faces sentencing at Hull Crown Court on June 7.
Her estranged husband Carl Twidale, 47, said he had to fight to clear his name after being associated with Twidale once the allegations emerged.
He has now addressed the once “bubbly” woman publicly as he pleaded with her to give him the closure he needs to start afresh, Yorkshire Live reports.
Speaking two years ago when the allegations came to light, Carl said: “It was numbing to read about all the scams and I can’t believe she has done this.
“When I first met her she was lovely, bubbly and you just wanted to be around her. Everybody would say the same but it seems that was all part of the act.
“There are no words. She is just wicked and it’s twisted – you can’t do the things she has done. It’s one thing scamming people but preying on their vulnerabilities is just wrong.
“I’ve started to question now if I ever really knew who she was. She was my wife but I just don’t know her anymore.”
Carl, who lives in Hull, has been estranged from Dana for four years and in 2019 he said she should be “fed to the wolves”.
Now, he wants to divorce her for good so they are no longer associated by name and he can make a fresh start with his new girlfriend.
Carl told Yorkshire Live: “I’ve talked to my solicitor and sent letters out to her mum’s, her boyfriend’s house, her flat and I’ve had nothing back.
“She doesn’t seem to be signing it even though we’ve got no property, kids or money between us. There is nothing tying us together – just the last name.
“Maybe she is trying to get all this done under Twidale so she can then go back to her previous names.
“It’s very frustrating and I don’t want it to impact my future.”
In a direct plea to Dana, Carl said: “Let me go and just let it go. She has caused so much heartache to everybody.”
Carl says he has been contacted by other men who claim to have been in a relationship with Dana over the past few years.
He said: “They’ve all said how she leads them on strong and she tells them she loves them to bits.”
Carl has not heard from Dana since she moved out of his flat. They have been estranged for years and he faced threats when she was initially accused of fraud in 2019.
“It has been really tough,” he said. “I’ve lived my life in the darkness with no lights on and it has been tough.
“I’ve had threats and I’ve had to hide my car just in case but on the plus side I’ve had other victims say ‘we know you had no involvement and we want to stay friends’.”