Is this the world's most jealous woman? Debbi, 42, forces 30-year-old fiancé to take a lie detector test every time he leaves house - and bans him from watching TV in case he's attracted to another girl



Debbi Wood checks Steve Wood's phone, email and bank statements



He is even forbidden from looking at pictures of women in magazines

She suffers from Othello Syndrome which causes delusional jealousy

Ban on watching The Weakest Link 'in case he fancies Anne Robinson'

She has changed her surname to his in anticipation of marrying him



A woman who makes her fiancé take a lie detector test to prove he has been faithful every time he leaves the house has been diagnosed with a rare condition that causes delusional jealousy.

Debbi Wood, 42, of Leicester, is so paranoid that her partner Steve Wood, 30, will stray that she also checks his phone, email accounts and bank statements several times a day for evidence of infidelity.

Mr Wood, who started dating Miss Wood in 2011 after they met through a friend, is even banned from watching women on television or looking at pictures of them in magazines.

Problematic: Miss Wood said t her jealousy got worse when the pair moved in together as she tried to monitor Mr Wood's every move

‘I think he’s gorgeous, but that’s not the issue - it’s about whether or not I can trust him not to look at other women while he is out on his own.

‘I don’t want him thinking they’re hot. If you’re in a relationship and you’re happy with your partner, you should only have eyes for that person.’

Miss Wood, who spent ten years in the US, moved back to Britain three years ago after her long-term relationship broke down, leaving her devastated.

She was so heartbroken that she vowed to never get into another relationship - and experts believe the emotional trauma triggered her illness.

Miss Wood was living in her native Scotland when a mutual friend introduced her to Mr Wood on Facebook a year later.

After exchanging messages for several weeks, she travelled to London where the pair enjoyed their first date.

She said: ‘I knew we were meant to be a couple when we shared our first kiss under London Bridge. I didn’t mean to fall in love again after my last relationship but Steve stole my heart.

‘The only problem was that we lived so far apart. We started to get serious and made plans to move in together but I then discovered that Steve had been seeing another girl around the time we’d first met.

‘He claimed he didn’t think we were exclusive because of the distance and I forgave him but I started to doubt whether or not he could be faithful.’

Miss Wood, who also suffers from bipolar and body dysmorphic disorders, added that her jealousy got worse when the pair moved in together as she tried to monitor Mr Wood’s every move.

She installed child-proof filters on his laptop and mobile phone to stop him looking at explicit pictures of women and banned him from watching any television programmes featuring women.

Test: Unemployed Mr Wood admitted life with his partner could be tough - but insisted she was worth it

OTHELLO SYNDROME: BASED ON A SHAKESPEAREAN MURDERER Othello Syndrome is a psychiatric disorder where a person is convinced their partner is being unfaithful - but with very little, if any, proof to confirm their fears. The name is derived from Shakespeare’s Othello, who killed his wife Desdemona after suspecting infidelity. Patrice Naiambana and Natalia Tena are seen as the duo in a stage production (above). The condition presents itself as jealous and controlling behaviour and sometimes violence - but the two main characteristics are delusions and obsessions. In men the jealousy tends to focus around sexual infidelity, whereas in women it may centre around emotional betrayal. Treatment includes antidepressant and antipsychotic medication and/or therapy. It is not known how common the syndrome is but one study suggests the average onset is at age 68 and with 62 per cent of sufferers male.

Miss Wood said: ‘One night, an advert for a women’s razor came on television and I felt panicky thinking that Steve was eyeing the model up.



'The only thing that could put my mind at rest was banning him from watching any programmes that have women in them.

‘Now, I won’t even let him watch The Weakest Link in case he fancies Anne Robinson but I’m scared he’ll have a sneaky look when I’m in another room.

‘That’s why I decided to order the lie detector online. It was my only way of knowing for sure if Steve’s eyes were wandering. In general, he’s quite truthful but I have caught him lying a few times about looking at other women.’

Miss Wood was diagnosed with Othello Syndrome earlier this year in September and her condition has affected her so much that she has barely left the house in six months.

She has been prescribed anti-anxiety medication and is having therapy to deal with her issues, after which she hopes to marry Mr Wood, who proposed earlier this year.

Miss Wood has already taken his surname as her own, in anticipation of the wedding. She has also been researching Othello Syndrome and hopes to start a support group for other sufferers.

The name of the condition is derived from the play by William Shakespeare, in which the character of Othello murders his wife Desdemona after suspecting infidelity.



Research suggests around 15 per cent of sufferers have been violent towards their partners, including 63-year-old Robert Mercati, who killed his wife Margaret at their home earlier this year after being diagnosed with the condition.

Not allowed: Miss Wood won't let him watch The Weakest Link 'in case he fancies Anne Robinson'

Mr Mercati, of Bloomsbury, central London, who then took his own life, had installed electric bugs around the marital home after becoming convinced his wife, also 63, had been unfaithful.

Miss Wood said: ‘My jealousy has driven me to breaking point and sometimes I’ve thrown stuff across the room.

‘I put Steve through a lot but he’s stood by me through it all so I know he’s the man for me. I think lots of women out there must be suffering from the same condition and just not realise it.

‘I think it’s because of the pressure society puts on us to look a certain way - to be stick thin with blonde hair and big boobs. I’m lucky my partner is so understanding - others might not be so fortunate.’

Unemployed Mr Wood admitted life with his partner could be tough - but insisted she was worth it.

He said: ‘Sometimes, I get nervous and the lie detector test results come back inconclusive because my heart is hammering, which makes Debbi doubt me. I just have to tell her I haven’t cheated and pray she believes me.

