Debbi Wood met her now-husband Steve in 2011 and thought she had found true love. What was a magical romance turned slowly under Debbi’s ever-growing suspicions, which led her into a bizarre and controversial technique to assure Steve’s loyalty: lie detector tests almost every day.
A Fairytale Beginning Amidst A Shadow Of Insecurity
Debbi and Steve’s love saga was no different from any commonplace modern love story: the Internet. Meeting in person under London Bridge, Debbi had kissed Steve just once and was convinced he was “the one”.
“I didn’t mean to fall in love again after my last relationship,” she admitted. “Steve stole my heart.”
There were scars on Debbi’s heart, nonetheless. Deep-rooted jealousy morphed over the years into something beyond recognition.
The Most Jealous Woman in Britain
In time, Debbi was diagnosed with Othello Syndrome, a rare psychotic condition of pathological jealousy in which the sufferer is convinced of their partner’s infidelity without any evidence. An old fear now in a more toughened-up state, her stupefying jealousy had begun to turn into real-life tests for Steve, and they were the daily polygraph tests—most often over trivial things like a quick run to the corner store.
“If he’s gone 15 minutes to buy milk, then I’m just worried he’s been eying the shop assistant,” she said. “I needed to know the truth.”
Steve was subjected to multiple lie detector tests in a week at the very worst—tests he would often take through an app on Debbi’s phone, which claimed 60% accuracy. One app even registered him as “lying” when he said he didn’t find the singer, Mel B, attractive, which put Debbi in another rage.
A Life Under Surveillance
Severely restricted were Steve’s freedoms:
- Prohibition from watching television (even commercials with women would put Debbi in a frenzy).
- His devices are secured by a child lock to block all pornographic content.
- His online activity was scrutinized continually.
- Despite all of that, Steve stood firmly by her. “She’s worth it. I know we are soulmates.”
A Glimmer of Hope
Debbi’s jealousy, combined with her bipolar disorder and body dysmorphic disorder, has in the past prompted her to lash out violently—”I’ve thrown things across the room,” she admitted. Recently, however, the couple found an unexpected coping mechanism: gaming.
“Playing Xbox together helps distract me from my obsessive thoughts,” Debbi said.
Now, the tests come rarely, “maybe once in a blue moon,” Steve said; Debbi is seeking gastric band surgery to improve her health and self-esteem.
A Controversial Love Story
While their relationship has drawn shock and criticism, Debbi argues that many women may suffer similarly without realizing it. “Society pressures us to look a certain way, and it breeds insecurity,” she said.
Jealousies, according to Steve, are minor dilemmas when stacked against love. “A bit of jealousy won’t change how special she is to me.”
Their tale poses hard questions: How far is too far in love? And when does protection cross over into control?
For the time being, Debbi and Steve are navigating their unconventional relationship, one polygraph test at a time.
