Iva Grguric on Saric: I Lived in Agony, He Says She Lies

Iva Grguric (33), a former reality TV contestant from Osijek, is once again in the spotlight over her relationship with Croatian businessman Marijan Saric, who is roughly 40 years older than her. In an interview with Jutarnji list, she said the relationship lasted about a year and that she lived through it in agony. On September 14, Saric responded to Kurir, calling her account a complete lie.

She moved to Zagreb from Osijek at 20, alone and without money, she said. She found work as a hostess at a club, and found an apartment through a classified ad. A month later, the man who came to collect the rent asked her if she would like to meet the landlord. That, she says, is how her acquaintance with Saric began. He soon started stocking her fridge and paying her rent, and eventually stopped asking for rent at all. She says she saw a father figure in him, and even introduced him to her mother. After that, according to Iva, Saric began helping her parents financially as well.

She describes that period as a trauma that also taught her something.

That period of my life was traumatic for me, but also instructive. That’s when I realized I would never again depend on anyone!

She added that many people today find themselves in the situation she was once in, and that her conscience is clear, since, as she put it, she never did anything immoral, she simply depended on others.

Saric did not stay silent in response. He told Kurir it was time for the truth and that everything Iva has said publicly is a lie. He claims she was “brought to him as a girl” and was, in his words, “utterly poor.”

I literally turned a penniless girl into a lady. She complained to me, and I gave her the best of everything in life.

Saric adds that he has complete medical documentation and that he personally took her to the doctor for bacteria and infections she had, as he puts it, on her genitals. He presents this as proof of how much he invested in her while they were in contact. He denies ever following or stalking her, claims he has no contact with her at all, but says he notices she frequently mentions him in the media.

He speaks briefly about the money he says he spent on her.

I spent a lot of money on her, better not to talk about it.

He adds that it’s funny when large sums are mentioned, and that he was never in Zagreb as often as claimed, since he says he was constantly on business trips, calling the claim that he followed her unfounded as well.

Telegraf reports that Saric ended his statement to Kurir with a threat to publicly release everything he knows about Iva if she keeps repeating what he calls untruths. With that, he signaled that the story, despite everything already said, is far from over.

Neither Iva nor Saric has commented again since. Their story, which each of them tells in a completely different way, one speaks of agony and dependence, the other of a generosity nobody appreciates, continues to draw the attention of readers in Croatia and the region.