‘I knew it was all true’: The Tinder Swindler’s ex-girlfriend on why she stayed with him

She claims he persuaded her to defend him when the show dropped

1 year ago

The former girlfriend of The Tinder Swindler, Simon Leviev, has revealed why she stood by him despite everything he did.

Model Kate Konlin has publicly defended Simon Leviev after Tinder Swindler dropped on Netflix. People who watched the documentary saw Simon Leviev con people as he posed as a billionaire diamond dealer to defraud women out of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Simon Levier, real name Shimon Heyada Hayut, was arrested in 2019 and jailed for 15 months for his crimes. The Tinder Swindler documentary became one of Netflix’s most-watched documentaries and was watched up to 50 million times.

When the show was released in early 2022, Kate Konlin claimed it was packed with lies and Leviev was actually a successful property dealer. She publicly stated that Leviev never asked to borrow money and questioned “how someone can build such a fake story.” However, now Kate Konlin has spoken out about the 18-month-relationship and claimed she suffered abuse throughout. Speaking to the BBC, Kate says she saw no other option but to publicly support him. Here’s everything she said about the reasons behind sticking with her ex-boyfriend and conman, Simon Leviev.

Kate Konlin and Leviev started dating in 2020 after he contacted her through Instagram. He was apparently “obsessed” with her to start with and love bombed her. But soon they started arguing and he would criticise her appearance, clothes, her weight and her skin. She said she felt like she was “walking on eggshells.” Kate recalls seeing her friends less and less during their 18-month-relationship and when she did they said she was no longer lively, colourful and sociable.

After a few months, and despite what Kate had publicly said, Leviev started asking to borrow thousands of dollars, quickly getting to $150,000. In a voice not heard by the BBC, Leviev explained why he couldn’t repay the loans. He is reportedly heard saying: “Kate, I’m a millionaire! And that’s a fact. At the moment, I’m stuck. Understand? I’m stuck. Do you understand that in your screwed-up braid? That brain of yours. I’m stuck, Kate. I didn’t steal from you. You gave it to me of your own free will. You lent it to me. I’m stuck, that’s all.”

When The Tinder Swindler aired, Kate “knew it was all true” as she watched it with him but Leviev persuaded her to defend him. She got a lot of abuse for defending him, Kate said: “People told me they wished that I would get cancer or be run over by a car and that I deserve the worst of everything because I was in a relationship with him.”

Eventually Kate decided to leave him shortly after the documentary was released. An argument between the pair happened and she claimed Leviev pushed her and she cut her foot on a step. After going to hospital, Kate filed a complaint against Leviev.

Simon Leviev told the BBC Kate is a “liar” and he has never physically harmed any woman.

Kate has since spoken out and encouraged women in similar positions to get out. She said: “If a woman who is in the same situation sees what I experienced and how I got out, and that today I am stronger and more beautiful than when I was with him, she will hopefully see that she can also leave.”

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