HOW WOULD YOU COPE IF YOUR HUSBAND HAD ANOTHER WIFE?
With cases of bigamy increasingly making headlines, Closer speaks to two victims about their husbands’ shocking betrayals
hen Yvonne Gibney married W her husband Maurice in August 1995, she couldn’t wait to begin their new life together.
But as Maurice started working away from home and missing important family events, she became suspicious and they eventually separated.
Shockingly, while Yvonne waited for the divorce to go through, she discovered Maurice already had another wife – whom he’d proposed to while married to her.
Yvonne, 58, who is a nurse and lives in the Wirral, says, “I honestly had no idea that Maurice was living a double life as he was such a convincing liar. He’s not the father or husband I thought he was.”
Bigamy has repeatedly made headlines over the past year.
Helen Gundry, 51, only found out that her husband, Daniel, was a bigamist when he appeared on ITV’S Saturday Night Takeaway with his second wife, Susan Brooker, 44, in March 2016.
GROWING TREND
Grundy was jailed for six months for bigamy and both Helen and Susan – who are now good friends – say it tore apart their lives.
And last week, it was revealed that Michael Eels had two wives who he’d kept 350 miles apart – and even feigned cancer to explain his absences.
Speaking of the ordeal, his second wife, Sally Howard, said, “I just felt so shameful. I feel like my life is worthless because of how he treated me.”
Divorce lawyer Vanessa Lloyd Platt says, “Bigamy is much more common than people think, and we’ve definitely seen more cases over the past few years.
“Social media means it’s easier to spot giveaways, so more bigamists are getting caught. And police are now more willing to prosecute as it’s easier to gather evidence because the internet makes it harder for them to cover their tracks.”
Yvonne married Maurice in August 1995, just three months after they met in a bar.
She says, “It was a whirlwind romance, but it felt as though we’d known each other forever. Our marriage was perfect at first and we had a son together.
“Maurice was attentive and a good dad. However, things gradually started to change. He worked away in Oman for long periods of time, but kept in regular contact, so I didn’t question it.
“But when he couldn’t spend Christmas with us in 2012 because he claimed he had to work, we had a huge argument. He left the family home and never saw me or our son again.
SHOCK DISCOVERY
“I had no idea where he’d gone and both myself and my son were devastated. But deep down, I knew it was for the best as he no longer seemed to be the man I married, and I started divorce proceedings the next year.
“As part of the divorce proceedings, we both had to submit our bank statements and, while I was going through Maurice’s, I noticed that a number of payments had taken place near Birmingham during times when he’d told me he was in Oman –
including one for a hire car.
“I called the hire company who told me where the car had been taken. After a quick search online, I was able to find a phone number for the address and spoke to a woman who claimed Maurice was married to her sister, Suzanne.
“I said she must be mistaken but, as she described Maurice, everything started to slot into place. I went into shock.”
DAMNING TRUTH
Yvonne’s fears were confirmed when she saw photos of the wedding on Suzanne’s Facebook profile.
She says, “His family had attended the wedding, but he’d told them we were divorced so they were no longer in contact with me.”
The next time Yvonne saw Maurice was in court in October 2014, where he pleaded guilty to bigamy and was given a suspended jail sentence.
She says, “During the trial, I discovered that Maurice had met Suzanne in a hotel in 2010 – while we were still together – and they got engaged in 2012.
“I couldn’t believe he’d lied to me for so long. I felt hurt all over again. Maurice broke the law. I’m amazed Suzanne stood by him. I can’t believe anyone could lie and deceive like him.”
Tina Pearce, 46, is another bigamy victim.
She says, “I met my ex-husband, Simon Keeton, seven years ago on dating site Plenty Of Fish. He was 48 and described himself as genuine and caring. We met up a few weeks later, hit it off straight away and, within six weeks, he’d moved in and suggested that we get married.
“I was so excited, it didn’t matter that we’d only known each other for a few weeks. And I didn’t bat an eyelid when Simon convinced me to pay £900 for my own engagement ring – as he was struggling to get a job.”
The couple married in October 2008. However, Tina soon became tired of paying for everything. She’d spent around £25,000 on Simon, holidays together and a car. And in January 2010 she asked him to leave as he still didn’t have a stable job.
She says, “I heard nothing from Simon until 2014, when I received divorce papers in the post.
“I was curious, so I looked on Simon’s mum’s Facebook profile and was stunned to see photos of him in a smart suit getting married to another woman. I immediately called the police – he wasn’t going to get away with it.”
Simon was given a four-month suspended sentence for bigamy and a £500 fine. But Tina is still struggling to rebuild her life.
She says, “I haven’t had a relationship since and I’ll never forgive or forget.”
❛I LOOKED ON FACEBOOK AND SAW HIM IN A SMART SUIT MARRYING ANOTHER WOMAN❜