Dead girlfriend hoaxer ‘did it for love’

The man behind the dead girlfriend hoax involving a US college football star said he did it for love and insisted player Manti Te’o knew nothing about what was going on.

Manti Te’o truly believed he was talking to a woman, 22-year-old Ronaiah Tuiasosopo told TV host Dr Phil McGraw, adding that he, the hoaxer, had fallen “deeply, romantically” in love with Te’o while pretending to be a woman called Lennay Kekua.

Since the hoax was revealed last month, Te’o has said the relationship with Kekua started online and eventually became serious, even though the two only talked on the phone and exchanged online messages, never meeting in person.