The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist, a two-part documentary is a tale of how catfishing completely changed a talented player’s career trajectory.
The main focus of Netflix’s second series will be Manti Te’o and the catfishing scam that not only caught the Notre Dame linebacker but also everyone who heard his inspiring tale of tenacity and determination.
Ronaiah “Naya” Tuiasosopo, the man behind the linebacker’s made-up girlfriend, will also be featured in the documentary.
Manti Te’o Fake Girlfriend Scam Explained
In a now-deleted article, the South Bend Tribune claimed that Mantie Te’o met Lennay Kekua, a Stanford student, outside Palo Alto, Calif., in 2009, after Notre Dame defeated the Cardinal 45-38.
Then, the two started communicating frequently on the phone and over internet contacts before beginning a romantic relationship.
Te’o was an NFL powerhouse and a rising collegiate sports star in 2012. As a linebacker for Notre Dame, he appeared to be destined for a successful sporting career.
Unfortunately, on 11 September, he experienced a double tragedy: the deaths of his lover Lennay Kekua and his grandma Annette Santiago.
A later investigation into Kekua’s identity by Deadspin led to the publication of a story in which it was claimed that Kekua did not exist and that Ronaiah Tuiasosopo was responsible for the falsification of the connection with Manti.
Photos from the social media accounts of a high school girl who is not named Lennay Kekua have been mistakenly used in online tributes and television news coverage as Kekua.
Te’o said in later interviews that he had misled his family and the media about having seen Kekua in person, but he continued to assert his innocence in the scam.
Where Is Diane O’Meara Today? Face Of Manti Te’o Fake Girlfriend
Back in 2013, Diane O’Meara, whose face was used to fool Manti Te’o, spoke in a few interviews to explain her stance on the subject.
Based on her interviews, she was unaware that her image was being misused to fool the Fighting Irish player until the news of the incident leaked.
The lady claimed that she was unexpectedly contacted over Facebook by Tuiasosopo, who requested that she take a photo of his recently accident-victim relative because the cousin felt she was attractive.
Speaking on NBC, she told, “Ronaiah has been stalking my Facebook and stealing my photos.”
In recent times, Diane has been avoiding making any public appearances. In the wake of Tuiasosopo’s identity theft, it also appears that she has turned off social media.
“I was doing everything to protect myself,” she told to CNN, “My Facebook was private. I was very careful about going through every timeline post and changing all the settings.”
She also remarked, “I knew what post was there and who was seeing it. But clearly, that’s not enough nowadays.”
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Diane O’Meara Appearance Was Used As Lennay Kekua By Ronaiah Tuiasosopo
To catfish athlete Manti Te’o, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo used his classmate Diane O’Meara as the face of Lennay Kekua.
O’Meara does not possess any of the following: a Stanford degree, experience with serious auto accidents, or leukemia. Thus, all those situations created were reportedly just a hoax to fool player Te’o.
Diane found the situation to be “extremely odd, twisted, and puzzling,” as she had never met Te’o and yet her pictures were plastered throughout national media channels with claims that she was his deceased lover.
Being involved in this controversy was upsetting for O’Meara as she was concerned about how it would affect her personal connections.
As she thought about her own circumstances, she felt bad for Te’o, whose career received a major boost after this controversy broke out.
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Who Is Diane O’Meara? Her Wikipedia Bio
Diane O’Meara is a native of Torrance, California, whose internet images Tuiasosopo used as the face of Manti Teo’s girlfriend.
Per the TheCinemaholic report, O’Meara holds a BS in business administration from California State University, Long Beach.
Reportedly, she was a high school classmate of alleged Tuiasosopo, who misused her face as part of the scam.
At the time of the incident, Diane had been employed in Los Angeles as a marketing professional.
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