A Marriage That Began Online
Dawn Ottewell, a 68-year-old grandmother of seven from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, met Bright Emokpae, from Edo State, Nigeria, on the dating apps Tinder and Plenty of Fish in 2021. At the time, she had signed up to the platforms after a period of loneliness and depression, according to reports. Initially, Bright introduced himself as "Brian Thomas," a professional in his thirties, but later admitted he was a fashion student in his mid-twenties from Benin, Nigeria.
Despite the early deception, the connection grew through regular video calls, and eight months after they first connected, Dawn flew to northern Cyprus, where Bright was living on a student visa. The couple wed at a registry office in Nicosia on 22 March 2022, with friends standing in as witnesses. The wedding certificate listed him as 27 and her as 64 at the time.
A Short-Lived Reunion in the UK
After the wedding, Bright returned to Nigeria to apply for a spouse visa. When it was approved roughly a year later, Dawn travelled to Heathrow Airport to welcome him. But what followed, she says, was not the life she had imagined. Bright became distant, repeatedly requested money, and consistently refused to contribute to household expenses, while regularly sending funds back to Nigeria.
Dawn's brother Rory, 72, had helped secure Bright a job at a local door manufacturing firm. The couple briefly separated in October 2023 but reconciled six months later after Dawn received a £63,000 settlement following a medical mishap. According to reports, the payout came after a botched prolapse operation.
Just before Christmas 2024, Dawn went on a £2,000 Caribbean cruise with her brother. When she returned, Bright left and has not come back since. Dawn has not spoken to him in roughly eight months, as he has blocked her on social media.
Fears Over Divorce and Inheritance
Dawn is now struggling to track down Bright so she can serve him with divorce papers. She is receiving guidance from the Citizens Advice Bureau. She believes he may now be living in Scotland, where she suspects he has launched an online clothing business.
"He's done a runner and is refusing to sign the divorce papers because I believe he wants to cling on to his spouse visa," she told The Sun UK, as reported by multiple outlets.
"My biggest fear is that I'll die before this is sorted out and he'll run off with the money my three children should inherit," she said, according to the same reports.
Dawn also fears that Bright could legally claim her possessions, including jewellery, cash, and furniture, because she has not written a will, as reported by a single outlet.
A Warning to Others
Dawn, who suffers from heart disease, sciatica, angina, and IBS, has spoken publicly about her experience. "I feel I'm being used," she said, according to one report. "I would advise people to be very careful who they marry, especially when the person is from abroad, because a lot of them are just doing it for a visa, and then they disappear."
The story has drawn reactions on social media, with some comments expressing amusement and others offering sympathy. Tuko News highlighted the previous story of Nigerian woman Edna Joseph, who moved to the UK after marrying a British man and later alleged abuse and went through a divorce as she worked to rebuild her life.