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'Missing' Swedish woman lied about holiday ordeal

Published: 13 Sep 12 09:58 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/43200/20120913/

A 25-year-old Swedish woman who was reported missing in Egypt in August, but resurfaced a few days later after finding “love”, has now returned to Sweden and come clean about her “lies”.

“I was so stressed and didn’t know what I should say. So I lied,” Gardell told the Aftonbladet newspaper.

Gabriella Gardell was reported missing in late August after she failed to return home from a holiday in tourist hotspot Sharm el-Sheikh. An international search warrant was sent out by the National Bureau of Investigation (Rikskriminalpolisen).

However, the 25-year-old eased her family’s minds by ringing them a few days later, explaining that she had found love and was planning to stay in Egypt.

"I found love, and I didn't think about getting in touch. I am sorry that I have made people worry. I am impulsive,” she said at the time.

On Thursday, however, Gardell finally explained the truth to daily Aftonbladet – that she had never actually fallen in love and that she rather just didn’t want to come home to Sweden, and was recovering from the shock of losing her father to a heart condition.

“I hadn’t dealt with my crisis and wanted to do it in my own way, without contacting home. Now I can see that I didn’t act rationally,” she told the paper.

Gardell reportedly “dealt with her crisis” by hanging out with a group of Egyptians who showed her the town, taking her on day trips and to local restaurants.

While Gardell explained that extreme stress and low finances contributed to her rash decisions, the woman admits from the comfort of her mother’s home in Visby, eastern Sweden that she may have let her emotions get the better of her.

“I am foolhardy, adventurous and a little stupid perhaps,” she said.

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11:55 September 13, 2012 by StockholmSam
Now THIS was a crucial news story. Glad to see the media is fulfilling its role.
12:50 September 13, 2012 by prince T
I never believed her story in d first place. It is either she has no money and decided to sleep around to make extra bucks. Or she tasted circumcised egyptian penis and went into ectasy. The bottom line like i said earlier, she has no life. That is y she could make dat kind of foolish decision.
13:50 September 13, 2012 by Mxzf
This is such a created story from scratch - I bet just some journalists at Aftonbladet got tired of the rain and wanted to go to Egypt.

Can't the local be one step better and not publish anti-news like this?
16:58 September 13, 2012 by johan rebel
If only she had done us a favor and disappeared forever.
17:49 September 13, 2012 by Richard Head
I knew something was up when she said she went to Egypt and "fell in love." Egypt has a huge problem with sexual harassment and the men there treat women like trash. There's no way any self-respecting western woman would "fall in love" there. lol. Btw, Prince T, you are disgusting.
19:50 September 13, 2012 by prince T
Thanks for the compliment @Rihard head
20:08 September 13, 2012 by Meedo
@Richard Head... i am an Egyptian living in Sweden. Egypt does have a sexual harassement issue.. however i don't think people treat women any trashier than any other part of the world. Sharm El Skeikh is perfect at that time of year and i can understand that people don't wanna go back to cold dark rainy sweden.
22:50 September 13, 2012 by Richard Head
==i don't think people treat women any trashier than any other part of the world.==

I've never been there but Egypt is pretty well-known as having the worst problem in the world with sexual harassment. Even news reporters aren't safe there as we saw when those two female reporters were sexually assaulted in Egypt during the so-called, "Arab Spring."
22:54 September 13, 2012 by wxman
Frankly, this hottie could lie to me as much as she wants, though I'd question her judgement in "hanging out with a group of Egyptians who showed her the town". This is especially true in light of resent events. She needs to smarten up and be a lot more careful.
06:04 September 14, 2012 by Da Goat
Yes if that is her I would gladly sheik my sharm with her!
08:53 September 14, 2012 by orangetree
@meedo, come on! almost all of us had been in Sharm el sheik and please do not tell us how do they behave to foreigner females. We all see things and have experiences..

Egypt even can compete with Morrocco..They are all hard countries for female travellers.
00:50 September 19, 2012 by Swedish Cat
Leave the poor girl alone,,

Yes she is a young woman that acted foolish and made a bad decision on a charter holiday...who hasn't?. If anyone should care at the moment it is her family, As long as she is safe and OK,

As far as I am concerned with you calling her names??

Slut is the definition of a woman with the morals of a man.
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