The Tinder Swindler to Celebs Go Dating: Cecilie Fjellhøy looks for love

2 years ago 56

Cecilie FjellhøyImage source, E4

By Bonnie McLaren

Newsbeat reporter

If you're a regular Netflix watcher oregon dating app user, you mightiness recognise Cecilie Fjellhøy.

She was 1 of the unlucky stars of The Tinder Swindler - the streaming giant's deed documentary astir fraudster Simon Leviev.

Cecilie is 1 of the women who says Leviev - existent sanction Shimon Hayut - posed arsenic a affluent heir to dupe them retired of thousands of pounds.

Five years on, the 33-year-old is acceptable to find emotion again.

This clip she's appearing connected Celebs Go Dating, a amusement wherever a formed of stars - often from world TV similar Love Island and The Only Way Is Essex - spell connected dates with non-celebrities.

"I don't consciousness similar a celeb, I don't privation radical to deliberation that I look astatine myself arsenic a celeb," says Cecilie, speaking astatine the bid launch.

"But I truly admit that my look is really known astir the world," she tells Newsbeat.

"And I'm blessed that I'm capable to bash Celebs Go Dating and amusement a antithetic broadside to me."

After sharing her experience, Cecilie is possibly much optimistic astir dating than you mightiness expect.

Image source, E4

Image caption,

Cecilie appears successful Celebs Go Dating alongside stars from TOWIE and Love Island - and there's 80s popstar Sinitta

"Dating for maine has ever been fun. And I ever effort to proceed to person amusive with it," she says.

Celebs Go Dating is opening her eyes "to caller things", she says, earlier joking: "Because I'm known for picking atrocious people."

And yes, she adjacent says she's backmost connected Tinder.

"I ne'er looked astatine Tinder arsenic the 1 to beryllium blamed for what happened to maine due to the fact that I met him successful existent life," she says.

"But I deliberation I went a spot excessively speedy backmost connected the apps."

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Fellow Tinder Swindler prima Pernilla Sjoholm and Cecilie (right) are present adjacent friends pursuing their ordeal

Following The Tinder Swindler's release, Cecilie received a mostly sympathetic absorption from viewers, but she was besides subjected to misogynistic comments.

She says immoderate successful the incel question - men who notation to themselves arsenic involuntarily celibate - labelled her a "gold digger", and thought she deserved to beryllium scammed.

Cecilie's expecting immoderate backlash to her dating amusement quality too.

"Trolling ever happens - I've learnt not to work it," she says.

"I deliberation it's important to radiance a airy connected those comments.

"All of these benignant of things tin beryllium dangerous. It's amusive to laughter astir it, but it tin beryllium unsafe successful the agelong run."

Cecilie campaigns for much consciousness surrounding romance fraud - and she says she wants tailored grooming for constabulary and healthcare nonrecreational truthful victims tin consciousness amended supported.

She besides wants to assistance region immoderate of the stigma surrounding scams, truthful radical consciousness little ashamed astir reaching for assistance if they are victims.

And she says it's "disheartening" that Leviev is simply a escaped man.

Image source, NTB Scanpix / Alamy Stock Photo

Image caption,

Simon Leviev, pictured aft his 2019 apprehension successful Greece, was released from an Israeli jailhouse aft 5 months

"My main happening was ne'er to go a celebrity, it was to get him successful jailhouse and support radical protected from radical similar him," she says.

In 2019, Leviev was convicted of 4 charges of fraud - unrelated to Cecilie's allegations - and sentenced to 15 months successful prison, but helium was released aft serving lone 5 months.

Leviev told BBC Newsbeat helium powerfully denied the accusations successful The Tinder Swindler.

He's inactive based successful Israel - and Cecilie says she unexpectedly saw him successful a formation nine successful Tel Aviv.

"I conscionable looked astatine him and helium looked astatine maine - I conscionable gave him a small question and past that's it," she says.

"I'm not frightened of him. Unfortunately, a batch of radical are, but helium can't wounded maine anymore.

"It's precise disheartening seeing him retired and about."

Leviev claims helium reported Cecilie's Tel Aviv sojourn to Israeli constabulary and accused her of harassing him.

He was sentenced successful Finland successful 2015 for defrauding 3 women.

'Red flags'

Cecilie says she inactive gets DMs from a scope of people, young and old, sharing their stories of romance fraud.

But she does person proposal to stock if you fishy you're being scammed.

"If you're reasoning oregon wondering, scope retired to either family, friends, archer them astir what you're experiencing," she says.

She advises contacting the slope arsenic "they're not your enemy".

"The happening is that with fraud, you don't realise reddish flags erstwhile they're happening," she says,

"And that's wherefore it's dangerous. And erstwhile you realise you've been defrauded: spell to the police, spell to your bank."

Celebs Go Dating airs connected E4 from 28 November.

Listen to Newsbeat live astatine 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - oregon perceive backmost here.

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