My abusive ex-girlfriend banned me from eating or showering, forced me to drink mouthwash and scratched me until I bled – I’m speaking out so other men don’t face the same abuse
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A man who escaped an abusive relationship after nine months of hell has revealed how his ex-girlfriend forbade him from eating or using the toilet and branded him ‘worthless’.
Gareth Jones, 41, now based in Cheshire, was subject to coercive control, verbal and physical abuse after moving in with with Sarah Rigby, also 41.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Gareth revealed how Rigby controlled his meal times and portion sizes, forbidding him from eating more than her.
She also stopped him from defecating in the house and restricted him to just one shower per fortnight, forcing him to wash at the gym.
Caught in a cycle of abuse, Gareth was terrified to speak out against his partner, who threatened to accuse him of raping her in he told anyone about her abuse.
However after seeking help and support from a charity, Gareth was finally able to break the cycle of abuse and moved out of the house of horrors he shared with Rigby before reporting her to the police.
Last month, she pleaded guilty to coercive control at Chester Crown Court and was given a suspended 20-month sentence.
NHS manager Gareth, originally from Pontypridd, met student nurse Rigby on the dating site Plenty of Fish and has previously described the early days of as like ‘a normal relationship’.
However, looking back now, he realises aspects of the relationship were ‘overpowering’ and likened it to ‘love-bombing’.
Within two months of meeting Rigby, Gareth had moved in with her – but almost as soon as they were living under the same roof, her behaviour began to turn.
Rigby began to control every aspect of Gareth’s life, including when he ate and when he showered – branding him ‘fat’, ‘disgusting’ and ‘smelly’ among other insults.
As a result of her tight control of his portion sizes, Gareth lost a staggering four stone in just two months.
She made Gareth drink half a bottle of mouthwash, saying she wouldn’t kiss him until he did.
Amid her campaign of abuse, Rigby threatened that if Gareth ‘dared’ disclose it to anyone, she would make the false claim that he had raped her.
Speaking to MailOnline, Gareth said: ‘She told me “Who are they going to believe? Me or you?”
‘It completely, completely battered my confidence. I felt completely demoralised.
‘When you’re being told you’re worthless, overweight, smelly – you start believing these things.’
Gareth said he noticed the change in Sarah’s behaviour when he moved in with her.
She immediately demanded he ‘back pay’ £700 in rent from the previous four months he had spent time there, as well as £700 monthly rent and all of the bills.
Despite this, Gareth was refused a house key and had to leave the property while Sarah was out, which meant he was often left roaming the streets.
Rigby didn’t allow Gareth to keep his belongings at the house, saying they were ‘excessive’ and eventually confining his clothes to the garage.
Throughout their relationship, Rigby kept her dating app profile live and used it to taunt Gareth, leaving him ‘intimidated’ by other, younger men who showed an interest in her.
The abuse was also financial, with Gareth giving his ex around £40,000 in cash and gifts while they were together.
Once, when visiting London together, Sarah ordered Gareth to buy her ‘something expensive’.
She clawed his arm through his jumper until he bled, and refused to leave until he spent £2,000 on a designer handbag.
Gareth described how, in their early stages of dating, he had booked a romantic trip away but Sarah told him at the last minute that she didn’t want to continue the relationship.
Content retrieved from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14802765/abusive-girlfriend-banned-showering-drink-mouthwash.html.
