REFLECTIONS | COLEEN GREENWOOD

Title

What Coleen Greenwood Taught Me About Escaping a Life Built on Lies

The Story

Coleen shares her powerful story of being deceived by a con artist who manipulated her and her family with lies of love, illness, and identity. A shocking reminder of how easily trust can be exploited, her journey is now told through her books, Fireman Scam, and the Channel 4 documentary Love Cheats.

Opening

This interview was all about the story of how Coleen was scammed. It felt like I was sat in a live audio book wanting to skip to the end as the story was both believable and unbelievable all at the same time.

What Stayed With Me

It is very much Coleen’s ability to move on, see the positive side to life and use the experience to her advantage. After all that had happened to her and her family, including having a child to a man who wasn’t who he said he was, I find extraordinary.

The Bigger Reflection

We can all comment as an outsider and say “I don’t know how you didn’t know”. Throughout the conversation I was fully onboard with Coleen’s perspective. She was cautious from the start, had her doubts and questioned a lot throughout. I believed her. I believed that he was genuinely a good guy. As hard as it is to believe, she has turned the story around to work in her favour.

A Line I Won’t Forget

“No end to the lies that he’d told”

This quote sums up the interview perfectly. There were a few others that I won’t forget, one of which was when Coleen rang his mother to confirm some details about his identity, and heard her say “He’s done it again”. Imagine hearing those words. I can only imagine the flood of questions that came to mind.

Closing Thought

I want to mention the backlash. I know Coleen and her sister Karen have had some criticism, as putting the story out into the public domain is always going to attract some negative attention. But, they have a right to tell their story as it happened to them. Whether you agree or not, it’s theirs to tell.