Man behind viral blue-black/white-gold dress pleads guilty to strangling wife

Keir Johnston and his wife Grace. (Right) The viral dress that made headlines in 2015. (Image: Grace MacPhee/Facebook, Caitlin McNeil/Tumblr)

Keir Johnston, the man catapulted to fame as the unwitting star behind the viral sensation of 'The Dress', has confessed to a terrifying assault on his wife, Grace Johnston, which involved strangling her during a violent altercation. Johnston, 38, admitted to this shocking act during a court appearance at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday.

The notorious debate over the colour of a dress, whether it was black and blue or white and gold, had sparked a global frenzy in 2015, earning Johnston and his wife a whirlwind of media attention, including a guest appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show, where they were awarded $10,000 and a holiday.

However, the gloss of fame has since been replaced by the grim truth of domestic violence. Chris Macintosh, representing the Crown in court, highlighted the alarming context surrounding Grace Johnston's ordeal, revealing that she lived in constant fear due to her husband's abusive behaviour and has a past history of assaulting her.

Johnston had a job interview in the mainland (Scotland) but her husband demanded that she doesn’t go. She did anyway and days later he told her he was leaving her. An altercation followed and he hurled her to the ground, Macintosh recounted the terrifying details of the assault.

“Johnston woke up and said that he was going to leave her. She went outside the property to stop him leaving. He followed her and pinned her to the ground,” Macintosh said, according to The Record.

“He placed both knees on her arms, so she was unable to move. He then began strangling her with both his hands.”

"She was initially able to scream and feared for her life and believed Johnston intended to kill her as he was very forceful," Macintosh told the court. Despite the severity of the attack, Grace Johnston fortunately did not require medical treatment for her injuries.

In response to these revelations, the court expressed grave concern over the gravity of Johnston's actions. The court denied him bail and he is to remain in custody until his sentencing scheduled for 6 June.

The aftermath of this harrowing incident raises questions about the couple's current relationship status, with uncertainties lingering over whether they have parted ways following this episode.

"The Dress" became a viral debate topic almost a decade ago as many people saw it as blue-black while others saw it as white-gold. The dress was worn by Keir Johnston's mother-in-law at a wedding. The original photograph of the dress was taken in a way that made the colours appear ambiguous, leading to a perceptual illusion.

Factors such as the lighting in which the photo was viewed, individual variations in colour perception, and cognitive processing played key roles in shaping how people interpreted the colours of the dress.