Married to a MONSTER

Samantha Treanor, 33, thought she'd never escape her violent partner

- CANDICE FERNANDEZ

Whenever I look at my wedding photos, I feel no joy. My make-up and wide smile were masking so much pain and fear, and the truth is that the man who vowed to love and protect me that day ended up almost destroying me.

Matthew Morrell was an old school friend who I bumped into while walking through our home city of Doncaster in summer 2013, aged 22. Later, he sent me a message and, as we got chatting, I remembered how much he'd always made me laugh. Having just been through a break-up, I wasn't looking for love but Matthew showered me with attention.

He arrived to pick me up for one of our first dates, at a restaurant in August 2013, with a bouquet of sunflowers, my favourites.

There was an undeniable d spark and, as we started dating, Matthew kept telling me how lucky he felt.

Kind and caring, he'd call every morning to check that I'd arrived safely at my supermarket job. Then, during a trip to York for our first anniversary in August 2014, he dropped to one knee and proposed.

I accepted and felt ecstatic as he slipped the silver and diamond ring on my finger.

By then, we'd got our own place and, weeks into our engagement, I was putting his jeans into the washing machine when I reached into the pocket and pulled out a condom.

Confusion swept over me - why would he be carrying one in his pocket? I marched upstairs to confront him and an argument erupted. Suddenly, he gripped my shoulders and pushed me hard down the stairs. As I flew back against the bannister, two of the wooden spindles broke. Stunned, I lay sobbing on the stairs in agony as Matthew just looked at me coldly.