I was catfished by a woman for SIX years – then became a sex addict when I realised the truth

FOR six years, Casey Donovan was madly in love with a man called Campbell.

But the singer, who won Australian Idol in 2004, was horrified to discover he never actually existed – and she was being catfished by a woman called Olga*.

@caseydonovan88 / Instagram

The 31-year-old, from Bankstown, near Sydney, had her first encounter with ‘Campbell’ shortly after shooting to fame on Australian Idol – when he rang her, claiming to be a friend of a friend.

Casey, then just 16, soon fell in love with him, but the pair never actually met – with Campbell either making up outlandish excuses or sending his friend Olga in his place.

She even ended up having sex with Olga, who had become her best friend, after Campbell told her to do so over the phone.

Six years into their relationship, Casey cruelly discovered that Campbell, who was by then her fiance, was a lie fabricated by Olga.

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Casey – who wrote a book called Big, Beautiful & Sexier about her experiences – is now the host on Australia’s version of the popular Catfish TV show.

She told co-host Andrew Denton: “I stupidly didn’t tell anyone that I’d never met this guy, Olga was the only one that knew the truth.”

Embarrassed by her situation, Casey repeatedly lied to her family, telling them she had met up with Campbell.

While she, her mum and even her aunt had all spoken to Campbell on the phone.

She said: “I was creating this big ball of lies until one day I thought ‘something’s not right’.”

After they expressed concerns about her relationship, Casey became more distant from her family.

She said of Olga: “She’d p***ed all of my friends away. I had no one.”

I wanted to die… It got to that point where I was like ‘what the f*** have I done to my life?’

Casey Donovan

But Casey eventually started to twig what was happening, noticing similarities in Campbell and Olga’s voices.

Casey blames the relationship for her later sex addiction – which she says became a coping mechanism.

“I wanted to die,” she added. “It got to that point where I was like ‘what the f*** have I done to my life?’”

Casey finally discovered Olga’s deceit when she confessed she’d never met Campbell to her former manager Jason.

Writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, Casey recalls finally opening up about Olga – and how Campbell would never reply to her messages when she was with her.

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She told him: “Sometimes I’ve even thought it could be her, but she’s my best friend. She wouldn’t do that to me. I tell her everything.

“I even asked her one night, I asked her if it was her and if he was real. She just laughed it off and told me not to be stupid.”

Jason promptly drove her to what she believed was Campbell’s house, where Casey had previously dropped off Christmas gifts and ‘I’m sorry’ notes.

But, after Jason’s partner Chris knocked at the door, it became clear it wasn’t a house at all – but rather a collection of ‘units’.

After a lady answered the door, Chris was forced to break the bad news:”Sorry Case. No guy called Campbell lives here.”

In more catfish news, this dinner lady was horrified to discover a woman she met on holiday when she was eight stole her pics and used them to entice men.

*Olga is not her real name.