Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

Multimillionaire bride files for annulment

LAS VEGAS-TV's instant bride has filed for an annulment, saying that her quickie marriage to a multimillionaire was a fraud and that he never mentioned he had "a history of problems" with women.

Darva Conger said in court papers filed Tuesday that the marriage was never consummated, and she and Rick Rockwell barely saw each other on their Caribbean honeymoon.

"Neither the contestants nor the show's producers seriously contemplated creating a proper marriage," she said.

Rockwell, 42, selected Conger, 34, from among 50 contestants on the Fox TV special "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire." They married on the spot in Las Vegas during the Feb. 15 show, with more than 22 million viewers tuned in.

"It was not what I wanted, not what I expected. I've never felt that trapped before," Conger said Wednesday night on CNN's "Larry King Live."

She said she knew from their first kiss the marriage was a mistake, but she went through with it out of a sense of obligation - and the dress was "so big I couldn't run."

Despite the smash ratings, Fox canceled a rebroadcast of the show and swore off a sequel and similar program after it was disclosed that a former fiancˇ took out a restraining order against Rockwell in 1991 for allegedly hitting and threatening her. He denied the allegations.

Conger said in court papers that Fox misrepresented Rockwell's personality and background. Conger said she was unaware that Rockwell "had a history of problems with his prior girlfriends and was the subject of at least one restraining order for threatening and dangerous behavior."

Fox declined to comment. Rockwell could not be reached for comment because the home telephone number listed for him has been disconnected.

Conger had said after returning alone from her honeymoon that she participated in the show on a lark.

She said in court papers that the marriage was a "mutual mistake of fact and was entered into solely for an entertainment purpose."

Conger and Rockwell both signed an agreement before the show that they could annul the marriage.

Clark County has no residency requirements to file for an annulment. It takes four to six weeks on average for an annulment to be approved.