'I dated a conman for 15 astonishing months - then made a heartbreaking discovery'

Less than a decade after fronting Aussie comedy Offspring, Asher Keddie has bagged a new leading role in the thriller Fake.

Based on Stephanie Wood's book of the same, the eight-part series was created by Anya Beyersdorf, and follows features writer Birdie Bell, played by .

In the show, Birdie's career as a food writer is flourishing and she seemingly has it all. But personal tragedy has left her with a hungry need for connection.

Birdie has long grown up in the shadow of her parents' healthy and long romance. But her father's recent death only leaves her wanting love more than ever. "Her mother has convinced her that she will meet the prince," Asher says. "She wants to fulfil her mother’s dream for her.”

Determined to finally find her match, Birdie signs up for a dating app, where she swipes her way to Joe's profile. Played by, Joe is Birdie's dream man - he's a retired architect turned property investor and he's recently divorced.

Joe is perfect for Birdie. He lives in a riverfront house on the Yarra River in with his two children and even runs a herd of Dorpers, regenerating his lands with native grasses.

But soon enough, it's clear to her that Joe is more of a frog than Prince Charming as his skeletons tumble out of the closet - and a trail of women emerge out of the woodwork, claiming they've all paid the price for trusting Joe.

More than a nail-biting show, Fake is also a gruelling walk down Memory Lane for Stephanie. The award-winning journalist met her own real-life Joe, spending more than a year with him before realising he wasn't as honest as he'd once claimed.

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"Fake is a true story about a traumatic relationship I had with a con artist – I call him 'Joe' in my book," Stephanie says. "I met him online and spent 15 months with him. He told me was a former architect, a farmer and property developer."

Stephanie fell head over heels for "Joe" as he went above and beyond to show her his dedication. "He seemed to be compassionate and decent, he also shared my values," she remembers, "He led me to think we might have a future together."

During the relationship, Stephanie felt increasingly under pressure as her ex's temper frequently reached explosive heights. "His increasingly erratic behaviour, his constant cancellations and contradictory stories, left me in a state of high anxiety and self-doubt," she says.

As signs piled up, Stephanie decided to stay on her guard, keeping Joe at a safe distance from her personal space. But in Fake, Birdie dives head first into her romance with Joe.

"In the show, Birdie gives Joe a key to her apartment, but I never gave him a key," Stephanie reveals. "I had a niggling sense that to do so would not be wise. Eventually, for the sake of my mental health, I ended the relationship." But she was determined to uncover all of his secrets for closure. 

"I'm a journalist so I started to investigate him," she says. And what Stephanie found made her completely lose trust in the around her, even herself.

"I discovered he had been with another woman for the duration of our relationship, had a criminal record, was bankrupt, and had left a trail of grief and broken relationships behind him," she says.

"I know now that he is little more than a fantasist with an extraordinary ability to convince people that the tallest of stories are true. He convinces himself that his stories are true." She adds: "He never asked me for money, but I lost my sense of trust in myself and others."

Years after the ordeal, Stephanie was finally able to share her story. Now, she encourages women to be extra careful when in the online dating pool. 

"It took me years before I found the emotional strength and courage to write my story but I always knew it was essential to share, no matter how exposing it would be," Stephanie says.

"Online dating has turbo-charged the phenomenon of deception in relationships while smartphone provides narcissistic abusers with powerful tools to manipulate and fabricate identities.

Too often, people believe they're having a relationship with a person when in reality the relationship is with their phone and the unreliable messages it carries."

Stephanie adds: "By exposing the tactics of manipulation, gaslighting, and emotional fraud, I hope that people will feel empowered to trust their instincts, recognise red flags, and seek support if they find themselves in similar situations.

For anyone who has been in one of these relationships, I hope that Birdie’s story will comfort them, help them realise that they were not foolish and that these type of abusers are clever manipulators. I would like them to feel less alone."

Fake creator Anya shares the need to spread awareness, saying: "It is my hope that this show will allow us to recognise a Joe in the wild, and RUN the other way. We don't just want to tell you a story - we want to show you what it feels like to have your instincts broken by lies."

Many women on dating , like Birdie, urgently look for "true love." But in Fake, Anya and Stephanie take aim at relationship myths. "Fairy tales, movies and society - everything starts making you worry about romance from a very young age," she says.

Producer Imogen Banks adds: “It’s not about somebody being stupid or naïve, it’s about wanting something badly enough that you’re prepared to deny your own instinct.”

For men, Fake is also wake-up call to make better choices. But David, who plays Joe Burt, insists his character isn't necessarily malicious - he's only a man trapped in his own web.

"He’s a fascinating character," David says. "Joe isn't a malevolent person, there’s nothing to gain financially by what he does. He’s by no doubt a fantasist. It’s an addiction.” But how will his lies unfold on-screen?

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