68-Year-Old British Grandma Cries out as 31-Year-Old Nigerian Husband Disappears after Arriving UK
- Dawn Ottewell, 68, from Dewsbury, married Bright Emokpae from Edo State after they met on dating apps in 2021
- Bright made financial demands and repeatedly refused to contribute to household bills before walking out just after Christmas 2024
- Dawn, who has serious health conditions, is now struggling to find Bright so she can serve him divorce papers
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A 68-year-old British grandmother has spoken about how her Nigerian husband disappeared after arriving in the United Kingdom on a spouse visa, leaving her scrambling to file for divorce before she dies.
Dawn Ottewell, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, told The Sun UK that she met Bright Emokpae, from Edo State, Nigeria, on the dating apps Tinder and Plenty of Fish in 2021, during a period when she was battling loneliness and depression.
Source: UGC
Bright, who is 37 years her junior, initially introduced himself as "Brian Thomas," before later revealing he was a fashion student from Benin City.
How the relationship began
Despite the early dishonesty about his identity, Dawn said she grew attached to Bright through regular video calls. Eight months after they first connected, she flew to northern Cyprus, where Bright was living on a student visa. The two wed at a registry office in Nicosia on March 22, 2022, with two Turkish friends serving as best man and maid of honour.
After the wedding, Bright returned to Nigeria to process a spouse visa. When it was approved about a year later, Dawn went to Heathrow Airport to pick him up.
What followed, she says, bore no resemblance to the future she had imagined. Bright grew distant, repeatedly asked her for money, and refused to contribute to household expenses, while regularly sending funds back to Nigeria. Her brother Rory, 72, had helped him secure a job at a local door manufacturing firm.
The couple separated briefly in October 2023, then got back together six months later after Dawn received a £63,000 (roughly ₦129 million) settlement following a botched NHS prolapse operation.
She now considers that reconciliation a mistake. Just before Christmas 2024, Dawn went on a £2,000 (about ₦4 million) Caribbean cruise with her brother. Bright was gone by the time she returned and has not come back since.
Dawn's fear over her children's future
Dawn, who lives with heart disease, sciatica, angina, and IBS, says Bright blocked her on social media, and she has not spoken to him in roughly eight months. She believes he may now be living in Scotland, where she suspects he is running 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.
"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."
Because she has not written a will, Dawn worries Bright could legally claim her possessions, including jewellery, cash, and furniture. She is currently seeking guidance from the Citizens Advice Bureau to locate him and serve the divorce papers.
"I feel I'm being used," she added.
"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."
Reactions trail the story
The story drew reactions on social media.
@benjamin_kuku_ wrote:
"Mission accomplished 🤣🤣🤣 unto the next."
@ogc_nyra posted: "😄😄😄 soundtrack😄."
@oladimejimc asked: "Was she not informed 😄."
@ovastyle_appareluk commented:
"Oh dear sorry mama 😢."
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a young Nigerian man's marriage to an older White woman had sparked a buzz on social media.
Nigerian speaks on his wedding to White woman
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian man who married a White woman had opened up about their wedding.
He stated that the wedding expenses were less than N300,000, sparking reactions from netizens.
The man shared photos of his wedding and said the pictures reminded him of poverty.
Source: Legit.ng
