LOS ANGELES (AP) - The woman who was unknowingly the face of Lennay Kekua says the man who allegedly concocted the hoax confessed to her and said he wanted to end the ruse that had snared Notre Dame star Manti Te'o many times before it unraveled.

Diane O'Meara is the woman whose pictures were used to make an online profile of Kekua, the fake person who Te'o says he fell for online. O'Meara says Ronaiah Tuiasososopo told her that he wanted to end the hoax before Kekua ``died'' in September, but Te'o wanted the relationship with Keuka to continue.

O'Meara spoke with The Associated Press by phone on Thursday. O'Meara says Tuiasosopo confessed to her that he'd stolen photos from her Facebook profile to create Kekua.