Kate Konlin, a 23-year-old Israeli model who appeared on the cover of Vogue Japan, has spoken out about her relationship with Simon Leviev, the convicted con artist known as the Tinder Swindler. In an interview with the BBC, she described a controlling and emotionally abusive relationship that left her feeling isolated and manipulated.
Konlin met Leviev on Instagram in 2020, and their relationship began with what she called a 'love bomb'. He accompanied her to modelling shoots, cleaned her home, and sent long voicenotes. However, she says he soon began criticising her appearance, weight, and skin, causing her to lose confidence. She saw less of her friends, who later told her she had become 'grey'.
After a few months, Leviev started asking for money, borrowing thousands of dollars at a time, totalling $150,000. Konlin, a financially secure international model, says he knew she had money. The BBC obtained voicenotes in which Leviev shouts at her, calling her 'bird brain' and insisting he is a millionaire who is temporarily 'stuck'.
When the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler was released in February 2022, Konlin watched it beside Leviev. She says she felt obliged to defend him publicly, including on US news show Inside Edition, because he told her people would believe him if a woman supported him. She received abusive messages from viewers who wished her harm.
The relationship ended on 29 March 2022, when Konlin says an argument turned physical. She claims Leviev pushed her, causing a cut on her heel. A video filmed by Leviev shows Konlin crying and calling an ambulance, while he shouts that nothing happened. Konlin says she felt 'dead' and wanted to kill herself. Leviev denies the allegations of abuse.
