Herman Rosenblat could have been the next big thing. But now he may just be the next James Frey.

The retired television repairman seemed poised for international acclaim and fortune after Berkley Books announced they were publishing his romantic memoir, Angel at the Fence. The book told of how Rosenblat, while in a concentration camp, found solace from a young girl who slipped him apple scraps through one of the camp’s well-guarded fences. Then, after the war, in America, the duo meet on a blind date, fall in love and live happily ever after. It’s a great story, to be sure, and Rosenblat has scads of attention since he first came forward about a decade ago. Oprah, of course, loved his story and twice featured Rosenblat on her show. Interest has grown so much, in fact, that a big-screen adaptation is scheduled for production.

As Rosenblat received more attention, he also received more skepticism, especially from people who doubted the veracity of his story. As many pointed out, it’s inconceivable that Rosenblat would have enough freedom and opportunity for the clandestine meetings. And, further, the structure of the camp made such meetings impossible. Well, now Rosenblat’s come clean and Berkley said that they will no longer publish his tale. Rosenblat released a statement this weekend apologizing for his dishonesty:

To all who supported and believed in me and this story, I am sorry for all I have caused to you and everyone else in the world … Why did I do that and write the story with the girl and the apple, because I wanted to bring happiness to people, to remind them not to hate, but to love and tolerate all people. I brought good feelings to a lot of people and I brought hope to many. My motivation was to make good in this world.

Despite the erroneous nature of his book, the movie version will go ahead as planned and, according to the production company, will focus on portraying "the fictional elements of the love story." Rosenblat has agreed to donate his cut to Holocaust charities.