Woman: CT Man She Met at UConn Faked Death to Avoid Wedding

By Barbara Heins (Patch Staff)

A British woman has told a tabloid in the United Kingdom that she was jilted by a Stamford man as she made wedding arrangements across The Pond.

The Daily Mirror had the blaring headline ‘My fiance faked his own DEATH to get out of marrying me’ for a story that details what Tucker Blandford did — or perhaps, in this case, didn’t do.

Alex Lanchester from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, tells The Mirror she was excited to receive a phone call from whom she thought was Blandford. She was bubbling with enthusiasm to detail how she found the wedding gown of her dreams, arranged for a photographer and wedding favors for their upcoming nuptials — scheduled for Aug. 15 on the campus of UConn Storrs where the couple met in 2012, according to The Mirror.

Instead, the voice on the phone identified himself as Blandford’s father who reportedly told Lanchester that his son suffered from depression and committed suicide. Lanchester says she discovered the cruel ruse when she called back Blandfords’ parents to express her condolences. The story doesn’t indicate when the calls took place.

In a video posted on The Mirror’s website, Lanchester says she’s overcome the deception and has moved on with her life, even carving out a new career — a creator of wedding favors.

According to Blandford’s LInked In profile, he’s a carpenter and painting instructor in Stamford. A message seeking comment was left for Blandford.

The complete Daily Mirror story can be found here.

Photo: Alex Lanchester and Tucker Blandford from The Daily Mirror.