The internet went wild last night as a ‘statement’ supposedly written by Astronomer CEO Andy Byron’s wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, was posted on Instagram.
After her husband was caught on the Coldplay kiss cam looking very close to his HR chief Kristin Calbot, Megan is said to have removed his surname from her social media accounts. Reports suggest that she then deleted her accounts.
However, after the woman who filmed the video appeared on This Morning, a new Instagram account popped up overnight.
Alongside pictures from the viral video was a statement, said to be from Megan. And, at first glance at least, it did look pretty convincing…
‘Statement’ from Astronomer CEO’s wife Megan Kerrigan Byron
It read: “Hello everyone, I’m Megan Kerrigan Byron.
“This is the most difficult moment of my life. I never imagined I would be thrust into the public spotlight in this way and I never imagined that my husband would betray me. I always believed that my marriage with Andy Byron was built on trust, respect and pure love. Every time he told me there was something important at work and he couldn’t make it home on time, I believed him. But it turns out that during those times he was with another woman.”
The statement posted on the unverified account continued: “I naively thought he was working hard for our family, for our children, but the kiss caught on camera at the concert shattered everything. Seeing Andy and Kristin Cabot cuddle together then hurriedly separating when they noticed the camera brought me a level of humiliation and pain I cannot even describe.”
Oh I wish this was real.
It added: “I cannot accept Andy’s actions. He was once the husband I was proud of, the father our children respected most. His betrayal is not only a trampling of my personal dignity, it’s a betrayal of our entire family.”
The statement then said: “I have decided to leave him. I cannot tolerate sharing a bed with a man who has betrayed me. It’s utterly disgusting. At the same time I don’t want my children to have face a father every day who doesn’t truly value them. I will take my children and leave this repulsive man behind.”
Celebs react
Mel Schilling, MAFS dating expert, was just one of many who reposted the statement. “Now, this is what reclaiming the narrative looks like – Bravo Megan Byron,” Mel captioned her post.
Vicky Pattison commented on Mel’s post and said: “[Bleep]… I’ve never loved a woman more in my life.” Jess Wright added several clapping hands emojis. Celebs Go Dating coach Anna Williamson added: “Dayyyaamnm that’s a statement.”
This Morning regular Ashley James added: “If this is true this is epic.” Amanda Abbington also pointed out that she isn’t 100% sure it’s a real statement. She shared: “Oh I wish this was real.”
‘Why spread fake statements?’
Others lashed out at Mel, for sharing what is now widely believed to be a fake statement. “Why spread fake statements?” one asked.
Another added: “This is fake though right?” They then pointed out spelling errors and added: “And why the weird spaces in the middle of some words? Plus, the statement from him quoting Coldplay WAS completely fake. So this is obviously a hoax.”
“I feel if it was real she wouldn’t have had so many typos,” said another. “I don’t think this has been verified,” said another. “Has this been fact checked? A very quick search suggests it’s fake,” another shared.
Others claimed that it was written using AI. A fake ‘statement’ from Andy Byron was also shared the day after the video clip went viral.
Wife Megan ‘flees family home’
The Daily Mail has claimed that Megan is, in fact, hiding out at the family’s mansion in Maine. So all signs do point to the statement being fake.
The paper has claimed she’s ‘lying low’ with her older sister, while crisis talks over her marriage take place. She is said to have fled their Massachusetts family home after the video went viral. And has been trying to keep a low profile since.
Neighbours, however, have slammed Andy Byron’s actions as “disgusting”. They told the paper the family deserved “privacy” while trying to work through their issues. “Everyone has seen it but the family do not want to talk about it,” said one.
Read more: Brenda Edwards and Janet Street-Porter clash over Coldplay kiss cam video
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