Two men narrate how they got married to the same woman

England: Drinking buddies Chris Thomas and Peter Sherratt have plenty in common, sharing a sense of humour – and, at one time, a wife.

The pair, both 47, met when they discovered they were both married to bigamist Karen Sherratt, 45.

She is now out of the picture – but their friendship endures.

Chris says: “It might seem odd to some people that we get on so well. But we have an ex-wife in common. We have had a shared experience too.

“She had us both under her spell and our close friendship is a result of that.”

Wedding cheat Karen was jailed for four months this summer after she was convicted of bigamy.

Her husbands could not contact each other before the trial was over due to the legal process – but when they met for a pint afterwards they noticed striking similarities in each of their experiences with Karen.

Both had been smitten with the blonde and rushed to tie the knot after whirlwind romances.

Karen, an area manager for a food company, had already been married and divorced when she met factory worker Peter, from Swansea, in 2005.

He says: “We met on a night out and she told me all about how she was an independent woman who had come really far on her own hard work.”

Their relationship developed very quickly and they were married within a year. Karen took control of the wedding plans, organising a lavish ceremony at Edinburgh Castle.

But the cracks in their relationship first started to show when Peter noticed they were living outside their means.

Peter says: “We had joint accounts for bills. I’d never been in debt before but suddenly I was living on my overdraft.”

Shortly after the wedding Peter started having serious concerns.

He says. “She would tell me lots of little lies about where she was and what she’d been doing.

“Our shared accounts were always empty and I was really struggling ­financially to keep us afloat.

“When I asked her about our money problems she’d be evasive and cold. She was always hiding things from me.”

Just a year after the wedding Peter walked out, leaving Karen at their marital home in Swansea.

He says: “I couldn’t bear to keep up the pretence of a happy marriage when she wasn’t being honest with me.”

Six years later in 2012 Karen met Chris on a dating website – and he fell for her quickly, just like Peter had.

Chris from Caerphilly says: “We were messaging back and forth really regularly before we decided to meet up at a cosy country pub. I fell for her straight away.

“Karen was always smiling and made it fun to be around her. She worked and was financially independent and said she owned her home, which impressed me, though I later found it wasn’t true.”

Just like Peter, he became so besotted with Karen that he proposed very quickly. “It was a real whirlwind,” he admits. “Within three-and-a-half months I was down on one knee proposing.

“Just seven months later in August 2013 we were married in front of 40 guests at the Holiday Inn in Cardiff.”

However, though Karen was separated from Peter she had never formally divorced him – and so they were still legally married.

But her smitten new groom Chris had no idea she was not free to wed.

He says: “I had some last-minute wobbles, but because we were in a loving relationship I overlooked them.

“She always gave me the impression she had a lot of secrets and hidden depths but she just had this way about her that made me melt.”

His world was shattered last December when he found a petition for divorce from Peter in Karen’s laptop bag – and he realised she was still legally married to her ex.

Chris took a copy and left it on the kitchen table for Karen to find.

He then packed his bags and left their home in Swansea – the same house she had shared with Peter.

“All the niggles and suspicions I’d had all came to a head the minute I found that document,” he says.

“In that moment I knew our entire ­relationship had been a lie and who knows how else she had fooled me.”

Reeling from his discovery, former RAF serviceman Chris dropped the bombshell to Peter.

He says: “I wanted him to know that I existed when I first found out.

“So I let his solicitor know that Karen had remarried and was a bigamist.”

Still coming to terms with the deceit, heartbroken Chris says: “I don’t feel like we ever had a marriage.

“As soon as it was ­discovered she was still married, our wedding became null and void. I’m thankful she has no claim over my home or assets but the betrayal has shattered my confidence. I don’t trust my own judgement anymore and I’m off work with the stress of it all.”

Chris, who has an 11-year-old daughter from his first marriage, kept his property separate from his relationship with Karen – meaning he had somewhere to go when he walked out on her.

He says: “After I left Karen begged me to go back, she said it was a mistake and she hadn’t realised. She told me that she lived for me and that she loved me but I couldn’t go back to her.

“I found out then that just days after I left she had uploaded her profile to a dating site again. That’s when I called the police.”

Jailing Karen for four months at Cardiff Crown Court in June, Mr Recorder IWL Jones told her: “It is rare for a case like this to come before the court, especially one involving a woman.

“Bigamy is clearly a serious offence that strikes at the heart of the marriage system.

“You have a good job, at managerial level – you are not a fool, you are an intelligent woman. You knew full well, I am entirely satisfied, that you were still married to Peter Sherratt.

“This is not a case of mere negligence, or not checking.

“I have no doubt at all that you are a deceitful and dishonest woman and that Mr Thomas is the victim.

“You cried during the course of this hearing, but I am by no means at all convinced that you are remorseful.”

Later Peter and Chris met up to discuss their marriage hell over a pint in Bridgend, South Wales – half way between their respective homes in Swansea and Caerphilly.

Chris says: “After the trial we became quite friendly and had some long chats over the phone about what we’d been through and the kind of woman she was.

"After that it was pretty clear we had this bonding ­experience and we were going to be mates for a long time.”

Now Peter and Chris meet regularly for a beer and a game of pool and a chat about their marriage nightmare, and are looking forward to moving on with their lives.

Peter said: “It’s been almost seven years since I was in Karen’s grip so I have moved on and found a new partner who I love and trust and that’s a whole different experience for me.

“I look at Chris now and I can see his pain and anger and I’ve been there too, so I can hopefully help him to move on past his upset.

“But it is hard. You never get over the deception and feelings of being a fool.”

Having moved back to Caerphilly, Chris is starting to put his world back together but has still not managed to rid Karen fully from his life.

He says: “I’ve been absolutely taken for a ride and since the court case I’ve had bailiffs at my door looking for Karen.

“But she’s already moved on to her next boyfriend and I’m left picking up the pieces - emotionally and financially.

“But at least our marriage never counted for anything.

“I can rest easy now knowing I’ll never have anything more to do with her.

“And at least Peter and I now have each other to lean on for support.

“His friendship is the only good thing to come out of this hell.”