How do you rebuild your life after marrying a conman?

How do you rebuild your life after marrying a conman?10 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJane DownsNorth East and Cumbria InvestigationsMelanie GrahamRaymond McDonald used a false surname and said he worked as a probation officerMelanie Graham thought she had met and married her soulmate in 2024 only to discover he was one of the UK's most prolific romance fraudsters. She said she was left feeling suicidal after realising the man she loved had lied about who he was and also had more than 40 convictions for theft and fraud, mainly against other women. Even after his arrest he bombarded her with letters and cards from prison saying "I'm blowing kisses through the bars" and "I love you so much", adding to her confusion.She said she felt "numb and shocked" when the letters started appearing and that he was still trying to "manipulate" her from behind bars.Now, she has documented her recovery in the hope she can help other victims.Mel has a box full of letters, cards and other mementos from her time with the man she married in 2024. It also contains solicitors' letters, court documents and newspaper clippings from the coverage of Raymond McDonald's trial."This used to be where I kept the good memories."Now it's full of restraining orders - proof that all of this really happened," the 52-year-old said.McDonald wrote letters from jail using alternative names and even bizarrely addressing letters to her dogs or family membersMel, a mum of two with her own business, met Ray Owens, as he called himself then, in January 2024. They dated for a matter of weeks before he proposed.Mel acknowledges that their courtship moved quickly, but says it did not feel rushed at the time. Friends and relatives approved of him, she says, and they had grown close quickly because life had "thrown them some curveballs". McDonald, 52, of Peterlee, County Durham, was easy going and funny and claimed...