It sounds like one of those funny news articles you read on sites like The Onion, but this one is sadly true. A man from the United Arab Emirates divorced his young wife just days after their wedding, after seeing her makeup free for the first time.

The bizarre news was reported by psychologist Dr Abdul Aziz Asaf, who claims that the 28-year-old woman contacted his clinic to help her overcome the psychological suffering caused by the swift and unexpected divorce. Asaf did not reveal the woman’s identity for reasons of confidentiality, but told Gulf News that she had been engaged to a 34-year-old man for six months, before marrying him. Apparently, he had never seen her without makeup during all that time, because the first time he did, he hardly recognized her. The man accused Asaf’s patient of deceiving him by wearing so many cosmetics, including fake eyelashes, and not looking as pretty as before the wedding.

Gulf News learned that the young groom first saw his new bride make-up free just days after their wedding, while visiting Al Mamzar Beach for a leisurely swim. The water washed away all her make-up, and the husband was shocked to see the face hiding underneath. He told his wife he couldn’t recognize her anymore.

The bride had intended to tell her husband that she had undergone cosmetic procedures before the wedding and that she was constantly wearing fake eyelashes, but then the beach incident happened, and it was too late. I don’t see what good it would have done, since the guys sounds as shallow as a puddle.

“The groom immediately divorced his bride and refused any attempt to reunite them again,” Dr Asaf said.