A MUM who fled a notorious cult weeks after being forced into a child marriage at 16 finally found love - incredibly with the stranger she had wed.
Angela Johnson was born and grew up in a breakaway Mormon sect known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, completely cut off and with no access to the "bad" outside world.
Angela, now 38 and a nurse, was raised in the strict 1,500-person religious community in Bountiful, British Columbia, Canada, which has practised polygamy for over 70 years.
The group gained notoriety after its leader Warren Jeffs, who described himself as a prophet and had 78 wives, was sentenced to life in prison in 2011 for sexually abusing two children he horrifically took as brides.
Angela said that polygamy "was one of the main parts of the religion" with a strict hierarchy of men that left the women "very oppressed" and having "to obey everything".
She added that while her dad didn't have multiple wives, Angela "grew up with polygamy" all around her - with one relative marrying 24 women.
Angela said the group was completely "isolated from the outside world" - with no access to the "internet, TV, newspapers or anything like that" and members were made to feel "elite" and "part of the chosen" ones.
She added: "I was born in complete fear of everyone who wasn't part of the religion.
"It was indoctrination after indoctrination - that this was the only way."
Baby-faced bride
The mum-of-three, who now lives in Washington, US, was made to dress modestly at all times and had to live in "complete obedience" to the church.
Those brave enough to leave were simply "shunned" by family and friends.
Angela said most girls didn't complete their schooling past the age of 15 because "after that, we were all married".
The nurse therefore didn't know any better, and was raised from a young age with the knowledge that she would marry young - and she simply accepted this.
She said she didn't find it strange as she had always been prepared to marry a complete stranger.
However, she admits feeling scared of marrying a man she didn't know, having only had a handful of encounters with men outside of her family.
And at just 16, she wed fellow FLDS member Cade Johnson, who was 19.
The pair had only briefly met twice before getting married, and they "didn't even kiss" at the bizarre ceremony.
A snap from her wedding day shows baby-faced Angela in a white satin gown, flashing a smile with her braces while clutching her new 19-year-old husband's hand.
But within weeks of her wedding, doubts began to emerge in her mind about both the marriage and the religious sect - which she described as an "awakening".
Shunned for 'creating a scene'
Angela and Cade began avoiding each other and kept talking to a minimum as the mum started to wonder if there was "something more to life than this".
She then made the incredibly brave decision to flee the cult and seek a divorce around six months after the wedding.
Describing how she stopped asking her husband's permission to do certain things, Angela said: "I started acting more rebellious and asking more questions, which doesn't go down well in the religion.
"I told my family I didn't want to be married anymore and they were embarrassed and ashamed because I was 'creating a scene'.
"It was a cardinal sin to even consider leaving, you were shunned from your family and friends.
"It's really scary because your whole life you're taught how bad the outside world is.
"I just kept thinking 'there has to be more to life than this'. I was the first one in my family to leave the religion."
Incredibly in the process she formed a genuine friendship with Cade, now 41 and a lifeline helicopter pilot - who had also escaped the cult by this time - that later turned into a relationship.
Rebuilding a relationship
The couple, who have now been together for 23 years and have three children, initially both moved to America separately to rebuild their life away from the strict restrictions they grew up in.
After fleeing the group, Angela had no plans to speak to her estranged husband again, until discussions over divorce led to sparks flying in the relationship.
She also said she had "no friends" and therefore no one to talk to about her ordeal - except Cade.
Around six months after their wedding, when both of them had escaped the religion, Angela contacted Cade on the phone, seeking a divorce.
Angela explained: "Uneducated me didn't realise I'd actually have to get a divorce.
"That's how I ended up finding Cade again, to try and get a divorce so I could move on in life.
"We ended up talking and trauma-bonding. I found out Cade had actually left the religion too and was living with friends.
"We kept chatting on the phone and formed a friendship. I had nobody out in the world I could trust at this time.
"I went to go see him and listened to music of artists we'd never even heard of together and really created a bond."
After their initial meet-up in the outside world, Cade suggested giving the relationship a try.
'Proud' of achievements
Angela and medical helicopter pilot Cade have now been married for more than 20 years.
The pair have also welcomed three children along their unconventional journey.
She said that it's "amazing to think" about what the pair had to endure "with a lack of support".
Angela also added they're "proud" of what they've achieved, despite their harrowing upbringing.
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