Man behind dress that ‘broke the internet’ accused of trying to kill his wife | British News

A husband who went viral with his wife after a dress bought for their wedding “broke the internet” by sparking heated debate about his true color is now accused of trying to kill her.

Keir Johnston, 38, appeared before Glasgow High Court charged with the attempted murder of Grace Johnston at her home on the Isle of Colonsay in the Inner Hebrides in March last year.

He is said to have subjected her to a campaign of domestic violence and coercive control for more than a decade before attempting to kill her by restraining and choking her.

After their wedding in 2015, the couple rose to global fame after the bride’s mother wore a dress whose true colors – black and blue or white and gold – sparked a global debate.

Nicknamed “The Dress That Broke the Internet,” it became a social media hit when it was first shared on Tumblr by guest Caitlin McNeill, who asked for help solving the dilemma.

Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift all mingled in her shots, while the photo was tweeted at up to 11,000 times per minute.

The couple subsequently appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where they were presented with $10,000 and a trip to Grenada after revealing the dress was actually black and blue.

Charges against Johnston include pushing his wife against a wall, yelling at her and choking her before threatening to kill her, and pointing a knife at her.

He is also said to have tried to get into the vehicle his wife was in and hit her through an open window of the vehicle.

Johnston is also said to have put his wife in a headlock and dragged her out of a pub after she refused to go with him.

Other charges say he isolated his wife from her friends, monitored her movements and finances, and controlled the amount of money she had access to.

After its initial popularity, the dress was then featured in a Salvation Army campaign against domestic violence, which ran an advert showing an injured and battered woman in a white and gold dress.

The slogan on the poster reads, “Why is it so hard to see black and blue?” The only illusion is to believe that it was her choice. Every sixth woman is a victim of abuse. Stop abusing women.’

Johnston denies all allegations against him and the case must be brought back to court for another preliminary hearing before a trial in 2024.

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