Australian Story: Mar 14

Monday’s Australian Story sees journalist Stephanie Wood interview women who fell prey romantic con men but managed to rebuild their lives.

This episode is introduced by investigative journalist Kate McClymont.

Journalist Stephanie Wood never expected to become the subject of her own story. But when she fell in love with a serial con man her whole world fell apart.

“I discovered that almost nothing he said about himself was true, he’d created this completely false persona,” she says. “I knew of con artists in the financial world but this guy didn’t want money from me. Like, who does this?”

When she’d pieced together the full extent of her former boyfriend’s lies and deceptions, Stephanie published a book about her experiences with ‘Joe’ to warn others.

Hundreds of women – and a handful of men – surprised her by responding with strikingly similar stories of abuse.

“Even now, nearly two years later, I’m still getting messages,” she says. “I decided to reach out to some of the women who had contacted me.”

Australian Story follows Stephanie Wood as she interviews other women who fell prey to narcissistic fantasists. Their stories are heartbreaking and ultimately life-affirming as they explain how they survived relationships with romantic con men and rebuilt their lives.

And she meets clinical psychologist Elisabeth Shaw, who explains some of the personality disorders underpinning such behaviour and how online dating apps create havens for men to hide behind false personas.

“These women are not foolish or naive,” says Elisabeth Shaw. “It’s not as if they have just blindly stayed. They are being very actively played.”

“The strength comes from understanding what has happened. Knowing that you weren’t responsible. Knowing that you’re not the only one,” says Stephanie. “These women haven’t done anything wrong. They’ve just wanted to love and be loved.”

Producer: Olivia Rousset

8pm Monday on ABC.