Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Too Good To Be True’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Married to Evil’ delves deep into the life of Donna Andersen, who had a nice house and a good job, and how it all changed when she met and married James Montgomery in the late 1990s. What seemed promising at the beginning turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life. Eventually, the couple parted ways and moved on with their lives. The documentary features exclusive and insightful interviews with Donna and her loved ones, as she recounts her marriage with James and everything that transpired.
Donna Andersen Went Bankrupt After James Montgomery’s Deceptive Schemes
Donna Andersen attended the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where she co-founded a student magazine and contributed to the student newspaper called the Daily Orange, while studying journalism and psychology. Right after graduating summa cum laude in 1978, Donna began working as an editor at Atlantic City Magazine. By 1983, she had gained enough experience and advertising skills to establish her own boutique advertising agency, Donna Andersen Copywriting. Over the following years, Donna built her portfolio by working on freelance magazine articles, press releases, website content, multimedia scriptwriting, newsletters, brochures, website content, and more.
In 1996, she crossed paths with James Alwyn Montgomery, who showered her with love and care, something she wasn’t used to. As per Donna’s account, James wrote poetry for her, called her multiple times a day, and sent her romantic faxes. Within a week of meeting in person, he bent the knee and asked for her hand in marriage. Originally from Sydney, Australia, James claimed to be a Hollywood scriptwriter, Special Forces operator, and entrepreneur. According to Donna, he pretended to appreciate her talent and convinced her to invest in his venture and their future together so that she could reap the benefits, too.
A year and a half into their marriage, Donna learned that he was allegedly cheating on her with at least six different women and had a child with one of them. It is alleged that by then, he had drained her savings and maxed out her credit cards, pushing her deep into a financial ditch. Despite her filing for divorce and claiming that he took thousands of dollars from her, she couldn’t recover her money and declared bankruptcy. About ten days after Donna left James, he moved on and reportedly married the mother of his child.
While James Montgomery Passed Away in 2021, Donna Andersen Leads a Private Life With Her Second Husband
In the years that followed, Donna pulled herself out of the financial strait on her own, with the support of her friends and family. In 2005, she launched Lovefraud, a website to educate people on sociopathic behaviors and prevent them from becoming prey to their pretenses. Her past experiences with James Montgomery allowed her to learn from them and become an expert on narcissists, psychopaths, and sociopaths. Donna also established a nonprofit organization called Lovefraud Education and Recovery, through which she has helped survivors and professional therapists identify, escape, and recover from sociopaths, psychopaths, and manipulators. She has also co-authored multiple scientific papers and presented research to the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy.
Over the years, Donna has also made appearances on many documentaries and shows about sociopaths, such as ‘Who the Bleep Did I Marry?,’ ‘Deadly Women,’ ‘Love, Honor, Betray.’ ‘ABC News 20/20,’ ‘My Life is a Lifetime Movie,’ ‘The Ricki Lake Show,’ and ‘Handsome Devils.’ She has also been interviewed for print articles, web posts, and radio shows. She continues to impart knowledge about sociopaths through Lovefraud, which continues to receive thousands of visitors and readers each month. Since she founded the website, Donna has collected more than 10,000 cases of survivors targeted by sociopaths and manipulators, making it a healing community and a safe space for survivors.
Donna Andersen is also a published author with eight books to her name, including ‘Love Fraud: How Marriage to a Sociopath Fulfilled My Spiritual Plan,’ ‘Red Flags of Love Fraud Workbook,’ ‘Red Flags of Love Fraud – 10 Signs You’re Dating a Sociopath,’ ‘Recovery from the Sociopath,’ ‘Dealing with a Sociopath,’ ‘Seduced by a Sociopath,’ ‘Understanding the Sociopath,’ and ‘Senior Sociopaths – How to Recognize and Escape Lifelong Abusers.’ According to reports, on February 16, 2021, Donna’s ex-husband, James Montgomery, passed away in New South Wales. Meanwhile, Donna leads a content life in Greater Philadelphia with her husband, Terry Kelly, whom she married in February 2005.
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