11 June 2023 , 20:44
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The Repair Shop's Suzie Fletcher has broken her silence as she says she was trapped in a coercive marriage.
The resident leather expert on the hit BBC show bravely opened up on the abuse she says she suffered whilst married to her husband Rob.
The couple met when Suzie moved to the US in her early 30s and was "swept off her feet" by Rob where within three months of arriving in Denver they wed.
Yet Suzie has admitted she was "starry-eyed" during their early days as she "didn't analyse" some negative things Rob revealed about himself.
Suzie recalled when they moved into their third home together, as Rob invited a neighbour around for a beer.
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Rob decided to give the man a tour and the three of them ended up in the garage where he started to call it his "man cave".
Suzie bravely opened up about her coercive marriage (BBC/Ricochet/Guy Levy)He said Suzie wouldn't be welcome and would "put up centerfolds" and pictures of naked women, despite him being shocked at the pornography for sale on the top shelves of newsagents' shops when visiting the UK.
Suzie said it felt like he was trying to knock her confidence and so left the garage, slamming the door behind her.
What she didn't realise was that she had caught Rob's foot and took a layer of skin off.
She recalled him running after her, where she became cornered and he grabbed her by the throat leaving her to rise off the floor.
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"I honestly thought I was going to die. He was choking me and could easily have killed me. I don't know why but eventually he let go," she told MailOnline.
"I was profoundly shocked. I'd always thought it could never happen to me. Not that. He would never hurt me. Now I knew what my husband was capable of."
She then returned to their farm one Saturday afternoon after Rob had been drinking beers.
Suzie said it was "like the devil had got into him".
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She works on the Repair Shop after moving back to the UK (BBC/Ricochet Ltd/Steve Peskett)
Suzie says she won't ever have a relationship again (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)'I've worked out how to have you killed,' he said in a slow and sadistic way. 'And I will get away with it.' He then went on to explain how. I won't go into the details but I knew he was serious," she added.
Later that week, Suzie said all he did was apologise which left her feeling confused.
Suzie's brother Steve, who works on the Repair Shop as a clock expert, had an inkling that there were problems.
He once asked his sister if Rob had been abusive, in which she was honest. The pair decided to have a code word to signify if she needed help, but she admitted she never used it.
In 2012, Suzie started to have a premonition that Rob was going to die in a years time.
They had no idea he was actually ill, but almost a year to the day Rob was in the final stages of dying from pancreatic cancer.
Suzie and Rob were married for 15 years.
She now says she has no intention of ever being in a relationship and she now questions what she finds attractive in a man - kindness and consideration.
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk