'I could not be happier': Australian Idol's Casey Donovan finds love with girlfriend Renee Sharples… after her six-year catfishing nightmare
Australian Idol star Casey Donovan found love with girlfriend Renee Sharples during Victoria's lockdown last year.
The 32-year-old singer met Renee, a lecturer in paramedicine, on dating app Bumble and the pair set up video dates on Zoom.
'I was nervous and excited to make a connection with Renee, and when we finally connected her banter was great and she seemed very lovely,' Casey told Woman's Day.
'I could not be happier': Australian Idol's Casey Donovan has found love with girlfriend Renee Sharples, after her six-year catfishing nightmare. Pictured together in Melbourne on March 4
'When I logged into our first Zoom date and saw that Renee had set it up in a café, it was so sweet... [It was] even better when she asked me what kind of coffee I wanted,' she added.
Renee admitted that she recognised Casey from Australian Idol but 'didn't have any preconceived ideas about who she was'.
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She also said the couple aren't considering marriage and children in the near future.
'We didn't really see this in our near future; it was very unexpected. But we're having the best time doing life together and I could not be happier,' she said.
'It was so sweet': The 32-year-old singer met Renee, a lecturer in paramedicine, on dating app Bumble and the pair set up video dates on Zoom
Casey has previously spoken about being unlucky in love.
She was the victim of a bizarre catfishing hoax for six years, which was orchestrated by a female friend, Olga.
Olga had deceived Casey by posing online as a man named 'Campbell'.
Romance: Renee admitted that she recognised Casey from Australian Idol but 'didn't have any preconceived ideas about who she was'. Pictured together in Melbourne on July
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph in 2016, Casey confessed that she'd become a sex addict in a bid to escape the hurt of her past.
'It was more or less to get away from the situation I was in and it is such a confidence booster,' she said of her frequent sexual liaisons with strangers.
She continued: 'When you're emotionally disconnected from the situation, it can get really dangerous because you burn and churn.'
Past: Casey has previously spoken about being unlucky in love. She was the victim of a bizarre catfishing hoax for six years, which was orchestrated by a female friend, Olga (not pictured)
