Gemma Monk, 35, had her wedding day ruined when sister Antonia Eastwood, 49, threw black paint all over her dress at the altar – she said this
A bride who had black paint chucked on wedding dress her by her sister-in-law at the altar has told the Mirror how the incident has been “mental torture” – and has torn apart her relationship with her brother.
Gemma Monk, 35, was at the altar when Antonia Eastwood, 49, deliberately ruined her £1,800 dress over a bitter family feud – leaving guests crying out in disbelief.
The wedding resumed two hours later after an usher at the venue owned a pre-owned wedding dress shop and stepped in to provide a replacement – but Gemma admits she “doesn’t remember” saying her vows because she was still in shock.
Eastwood was convicted earlier this month of criminal damage – and Gemma now hopes to hold another ceremony on the exact same venue on the same date in 2027 to “override” the bad memories.
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Describing the fallout from the incident back in May 2024 – which has attracted international media attention after it went to court – she told the Mirror today: “It’s just took a huge toll on me mentally. I wake up and ‘I think is that real’?
“This is why I think it’s mentally tortured me – because I did nothing wrong.
“It’s something that comes at a spare moment is it? ‘Oh I’m just driving past Oakwood House. Oh look I’ve got a tin of black paint, I might just go and throw that over the bride’.
“No. If you know where Oakwood House is, it’s a ring road. I had been there 12 times and still got lost. And on that day, they got away very quickly [after throwing the paint], they knew it would hurt me.”
She dismissed Eastwood’s claims that the incident came in revenge for Gemma allegedly tried to “trip her up” at her own wedding the year before as an “obvious lie”, adding: “They accused me of calling her a b**ch at first when she was walking down the aisle, and then apparently I called her a, excuse my language, a sl*t apparently down the aisle, and then the third one was I’ve tried to trip her up. I mean, I’m 4 foot 11 – I would need to have some good legs!”.
One of the lasting effects has been the permanent breakdown of her relationship with her brother, Ashley, who she said until a feud in the run-up to the wedding had “always been there” for her.
She said: “My brother’s broken my heart, I think that’s the worst part of it. My brother is meant to protect me. He’s been totally brainwashed by her – I’ll just never forgive him.”
But after a whirlwind of public attention, including people recognising her in the street, Gemma now hopes a new ceremony next year will give her the chance to banish the bad memories.
She explained: “We’d like to repeat everything, not just for our memories and the family, but for our children as well.
“We’d like to get married on the same date to override that memory. Not to forget it, because I’ll never forget it. But I’d like to override that memory for myself and my children so we can look back at the day and have a happy memory.”
“At the moment it’s all we’ve got is bad. I mean our second year anniversary is coming up, 24th of May, but don’t want to celebrate something I have a bad memory about. And that’s the day we should all come together as a family and celebrate our love and you know, I can’t do that at the moment until I have a happy memory.”
“Yes, I am married, but I don’t feel married. I never felt like how you should on your wedding day. I can’t even remember saying my vows to my husband and that’s something that’s very important to me. My head wasn’t there – it was like I was watching myself from above.”
She also revealed she would consider hiring security for the new date, as well as having a bigger “support network”. Despite her being reluctant to accept “charity”, her family have set up a GoFundMe to help her “rewrite” her wedding day, which will go towards the cost of the ceremony and replacing clothes spoiled by the paint.
