For the record, we 100 per cent do not condone catfishing. 9.95 times out of 10, it ends in disaster, destruction and, you know, just generally ruins people’s lives.
However… the story of Emma Perrier and Adem Guzel falls into the very slim percentage of catfishing experiences that actually result in a successful relationship.
The Atlantic has told their ~unique~ adventure in a modern day (and borderline illegal) fairy tale that has to be read to be believed. Really, it’s pretty unbelievable.
The story goes that, Perrier, a 35-year-old French woman living in London in 2015, was lonely and heartbroken after the end of a serious relationship. So, she joined a dating app. The dating app was Zoosk, and after scrolling it for some time, she came across the profile of 34-year-old Italian plumber, Ronaldo “Ronnie” Scicluna.
One slight technicality – Ronnie was not a 34-year-old Italian plumber. Rather, he was 53-year-old Alan Stanley, a short, balding shop-fitter from the UK.
The pair proceeded to chat online for months, even telling each other they loved each other, despite never having met. Eventually, Perrier’s loved ones took some initiative and pointed out the highly strange nature of her ‘relationship’, which prompted her to do a Google reverse image search.
After finding out she was being catfished by a serial offender, Perrier found out who the young, handsome face she'd fallen in love with belonged to. Twelve months later, she reached out to the face's owner - 35-year-old Turkish male model, Adem Guzel to let him know his face was being used to lure women like her online.
Long story short: The rest was history. Once they got to talking, Perrier and Guzel realised they were in fact perfect for each other, and have been together ever since.
This folks, is what we like to call fate. Or, sheer luck.
You can read the entire saga from The Atlantic on their website.
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