EXCLUSIVE: Ventriloquist, 38, and TLC star who spends $50,000 A YEAR caring for her 38 puppet ‘CHILDREN’ opens up about desperate search for love after being dumped by fiance when she refused to give up her dolls

• April, 38, lives in Las Vegas with her 38 ‘children’ and is looking for Mr Right
• Ventriloquist receives fan mail from male prisoners all around the world
• Former My Strange Addiction star still hopes to get married one day and says one of her puppets will officiate the ceremony

A puppet-obsessed woman who was dumped by her fiancé after she refused to give up her doll ‘children’ has revealed she is once again looking for love – and still hopes to get married one day to a man who will support her $50,000-a-year figurine collection.

Ventriloquist April Brucker, 38, who now lives in Las Vegas, ended up single in 2010 when the man she was planning to wed gave her an ultimatum and forced her to choose between him and her dolls.

Fast forward 13 years later and April is now the proud parent of 38 puppets – whom she refers to as her children, but she’s yet to find Mr Right, despite receiving letters from male admirers across the globe.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, the blond – who found fame on TLC’s My Strange Addiction – admitted: ‘I’m just desperately seeking Mr. Okay. And Mr. Okay has to be a man that likes puppets. That’s number one.

‘And he’s got to have a good sense of humor. So that’s where I’m at, I’m still just desperately seeking Mr. Okay.’

Lady in red: Ventriloquist April Brucker pictured with one of her puppets named Donald J. Tramp

Romance ready: April opened up about her search for love after her relationship with her fiancé came to an end in 2015

Fanbase: The 38-year-old revealed that she receives fan mail from men who are in prison

April revealed she isn’t short of offers though, and has received fan mail from men all around the world – including prisoners.

‘I will say, I am getting a lot of attention on social media from guys,’ she admitted.

‘One guy wrote me in Croatian, and it was the first fan letter that I’d ever gotten in Croatian. And I get fan letters from all around the world from men who have read about my fiancé dumping me and they want to marry me and take me far away and stuff.

‘And so one guy writes me in Croatian that I’m beautiful, he wants to rescue me and my puppets, he wants to hold me, he wants to kiss me. And at the time I had released a pin-up calendar, because I thought, “why not?”

‘So I tried to get him to buy a calendar. And so he said, “I cannot receive mail where I’m at.” And so I said, “would you like an autographed photo of my puppets and I?” Because I’m thinking maybe he doesn’t want to spend money on that stuff.

‘And he says, “I can’t receive mail where I’m at, but in 50 years I hope to hold you.” And so I’m reading a little bit more and he comes clean… he’s in prison in Croatia!’ 

April isn’t sure how her mother would react if she were to marry an inmate though, as she admitted: ‘With my mother, I would never hear the end of it. So you know, you’ve got to draw a line somewhere!’

The My Strange Addiction star also revealed there is a down side to being in the public eye and putting herself ‘out there’ on social media.

Special role: April admitted that she would like one of her puppets to officiate her wedding if she gets married

High hopes: The My Strange Addiction star wants a man who can accept her puppets who she refers to as her ‘children’

Successful career: April has performed shows in NYC and LA and now lives in Las Vegas

Single lady: The glam ventriloquist admitted she is ‘desperately seeking Mr. Okay’ 

‘I’ve had some people that have raised a lot of red flags, but thankfully, I’ve had a lot of good support around me. I try to put boundaries up with some people, but not all my encounters have been bad.’

However, April has yet to meet her Prince Charming – but still daydreams about the day she’ll walk down the aisle. 

‘I would like to get married and I would like all of my puppets to be at my wedding. I would like some of them to be bridesmaids and groomsmen,’ the ventriloquist explained, adding that she would definitely get hitched in Sin City.

But for the time being, April’s ‘children’ keep her very busy – and also help her earn a decent living. 

‘I got two new characters last week and I was so overjoyed when they came in the mail! I was so excited! I have 38 children now!’ she revealed.

When asked how people react to her calling the puppets her kids, April replied: ‘I know they’re not real children, but they’re my children. People refer to their cats and dogs as their children all the time!’

April’s children certainly cost her a few dollars as she admits to spending up to $50,000 on them per year. 

‘I’ve been lucky enough to make this a career and so it’s paid off,’ she said.

‘For instance, as a writer, you need a new laptop every once in a while, because you can’t write without a laptop… I can’t perform without these guys, so if they look ratty, nobody wants to book them. So the financial upkeep can be an uphill battle, but it’s worth it, it is always worth it.’

‘But I work a lot and that’s where the puppets pay off, because I did a nine month residency here in Vegas. So even though I spend money, it’s like I spend money to make money by puppets or my business.’

As well as performing in shows in New York City, Los Angeles, and a nine-month residency in Las Vegas, April has also released a book about ventriloquism called Don’t Read My Lips.

Political party: One of April’s puppets bears a striking resemblance to President Joe Biden

Not cheap: April admits to spending up to $50,000 per year on her puppets but says it always pays off

Busy lady: April claims ‘practice makes perfect’ and is always working on her craft and rehearsing

https://youtube.com/watch?v=e1FF0mVYQ4Y%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

But despite being well-established in the world of ventriloquism, April still strives to perfect her craft every single day.

‘I practice all the time every day because practice makes absolute perfect,’ she explained.

‘And the more you practice, the more perfect you get. As a matter of fact, that’s one thing that’s interfered with my dating life is I have to perfect these guys. I always have to practice.

‘I am notorious for being out with people and they’re like, “April, I want to stay out late,” and I say, “no because I have to get home and practice!”‘ 

However, she’s adamant that her ‘addiction’ to ventriloquism isn’t unhealthy. 

‘I don’t know that I would call it an addiction, I would call it a passion, I would say it’s a calling,’ she said.

‘Maybe it’s an addiction, but not all addictions are bad. Addiction is a word that is kind of locked and loaded, but I don’t think this is bad.’

Although April’s dedication leaves very little room for a romantic relationship, she said she doesn’t regret choosing her puppets over a man.

‘It was the best decision I made for myself because not only did I choose my puppets, but I chose myself, and since that time I have become a professional ventriloquist. I have not regretted the decision and I’ve never looked back.’

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