Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace hits out at shocking allegations in rare interview: 'I'm not a liar'

Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace has spoken out in a rare interview to address the explosive allegations she was faking her age and terrorizing her adoptive families.

Natalia, who was born with dwarfism, was accused of being an adult woman masquerading as a six-year-old child after being adopted by an American family.

In the upcoming documentary by Investigation Discovery, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter, the now 21-year-old opens up about her traumatic past and her polarizing public reception.

Natalia recently spoke to People for the first time since the Investigation Discovery series debuted in 2023, determined to share her side of the story after accusations from her legal guardians that she is a 'sociopath.'

In the interview, she told the publication she actually suffers from anxiety, and doesn't like being filmed.

'I'm more of a quiet girl who enjoys sitting on a porch swing with a book and a hot chocolate or coffee in the morning,' she shared.

'There were a lot of people saying, "You're fake. You’re a liar. You’re a pedophile." I'm also known for the little girl that was helpless and was beaten and starved and all that,' Natalia added. 

'That's not who I am. But that seems to be the only thing that people know — and that's why it hurts me a lot.'

Natalia first came to the United States in 2008 and lived with a couple but they gave her up for undisclosed reasons. In 2010, she was adopted by a family called the Barnetts, who lived in Indiana.

Natalia lived with the Barnetts' for two years, but not long after she joined the family, the couple claimed Natalia was a 'sociopath' who threatened to kill them.

They claimed the Ukrainian orphan stood over their beds with a knife at night, and tried to poison Kristine, branding her a violent 'sociopath.' However, Natalia hit back at these claims, saying she was 'coached' to lie about her age by the Barnetts and said it wasn't physically possible for her physically harm Kristine. 

'I feel like I have to defend myself and be like, "Do I look like somebody that could push someone twice my size into a fence? Do I look like I could even grip a knife?"' she said in the interview.

'I feel like I was brainwashed by the Barnetts. Kristine coached me to lie about my age and say I tried to murder my parents. Why would you do that to your child?' she anguished. 

The Barnetts questioned Natalia's birth certificate, which said she was born in 2003, making her six years old when she was adopted. In their claims, they said Natalia had developed pubic hair and had started getting her period, which made them believe she was older.

The Barnetts, who have three biological sons, successfully convinced a court in 2012 to legally change her birth date to 1989, which made her 22 years old. 

In 2012, they moved hundreds of miles away and left her behind in an apartment they'd rented for her in Lafayette, Indiana, leaving her to fend for herself - with Natalia sadly recalling she didn't understand why she was left alone.

'I really disliked being the girl who was re-aged and lived in her own apartment,' Natalia admitted.

'I didn't understand why I was alone. I just knew I had this instinct in me to push and survive. All I was told was, "You're 22 now. Whenever somebody asks you what your age is, you say you're 22 and you tried to murder your family." I was taught to lie,' she said.

Natalia was then taken in by Cynthia and Antwon Mans, who discovered that she was living alone and took her in, beginning he adoption process in 2016.

She was legally adopted by the Mans in 2023, with her date of birth, after extensive medical tests and DNA analysis legally restored.

In the ID series, The Confessions Of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, Natalia detailed her adoption, before she was abruptly abandoned again.

The Mans couple, who had 10 children already, had at first fiercely defended Natalia throughout the series. However, about six months into it, producers received a call from the Mans family who revealed they were washing their hands of her once and for all. 

Tensions had reportedly been rising between the family and Natalia, with Antwon also discovering a budding relationship a man named Neil she met on social media - and forbidding contact.

'She's got this dude online,' he said in the ID series. 'He turned her against us. She's ready to go to hell with gasoline panties on.' 

As per People, several witnesses also claimed the Mans' abused Natalia, which eventually led to a couple Nicole DePaul, and her husband Vince, helping her escape in December 2023.

The couple had also once tried to adopt Natalia but were turned down.

'Once I got in [Nicole's] car, I had to text my mom to let her know I wasn't kidnapped or dead,' she recalled. 'It was an emotional time. I had to spread my wings.'

According to Nicole, Natalia's behavioral problems likely stem from some of her difficult early life.

She noted she has been diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder, which is a behavioral condition common in children who have spent time in an orphanage, and also suffers from anxiety, ADHD and PTSD. 

'Did she probably do weird things in the past? Yeah,' Nicole acknowledged. '[But] when you take in a child, you take that child as your own. You don't just get rid of them when they don't fit into your puzzle.'

Natalia admits her journey to get to where she is now has been 'a big learning curve,' and she's made peace with her tumultuous past.

'It is definitely a blessing to be alive today. And there's nothing I can do to change the past,' she said.

People also revealed Natalia recently met Neil in person for the first time, and is in love. She is also striving for independence, studying for her GED and learning to drive, with plans of becoming a teacher one day.

'I'm a girl who loves kids and wants to get married and have children,' she continued of her future plans. 'But one of my biggest things is not making promises I can't keep. I've had too many promises that have been broken. I'm just ready to move on.'

The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter premieres January 6 and January 7 on Investigation Discovery and streams on Max.