A former MAFS UK bride has alleged she was left traumatised after her on-screen husband performed a lewd act and controlled her behaviour as she criticises welfare team
A former Married At First Sight UK bride says she was traumatised for years after appearing on the show and alleges her co-star restricted her movements, leaving her isolated.
Speaking to the Mirror following Panorama: The Dark Side of Married At First Sight, which aired on BBC One on Monday night, the bride alleged: “He performed a lewd act and then touched my face without consent. He banned me from drinking or speaking to production staff without him.”
She claims to have reported it to welfare staff and that production staff were aware of incidents but she was encouraged to continue with the show. She alleged: “They [production] would say, ‘It’s going to be OK’. Staff bought me a drink to help smooth things over after I complained.”
READ MORE: Two more Married At First Sight UK brides and a groom make fresh abuse claims
Describing the welfare team, she alleged: “They present as your best friend. I thought they were somebody you could talk to about anything. But if I look back on it now, I would say it’s more like grooming.”
The bride alleged she felt pressured into intimacy by her partner and does not believe enough safeguarding existed once couples returned to their apartments off camera.
She said: “I had sex with my partner and whilst I wasn’t forced, I felt pressured.” She added: “The couch ceremonies are supposed to be a safe space where you can speak honestly. But you go back to your apartment afterwards and there are no cameras there and nobody to protect you.”
She told how much of the alleged behaviour took place away from cameras and claimed she repeatedly raised concerns with welfare and production teams throughout filming.
She had months of psychological assessments, interviews and background checks, which she believed were designed to protect participants.
But she said: “I told them everything about myself – that I’d been in controlling relationships before, that I struggled speaking up for myself and that I fall in love very quickly. But now I feel like I gave them the blueprint on how to expose me and use me.
“They knew I had a history of abusive, controlling relationships and paired me with someone who controlled my every move.”
She believes the intense filming conditions heightened emotions. She said: “I’ve never cried more in my life. “You aren’t sleeping enough, you’re filming 14, 15, sometimes 20-hour days and when you’re not filming, you’re isolated in an apartment.
“At the dinner parties you’d be picked up at 8am in full hair and make-up then left sitting in a shipping container for six or seven hours before filming. The worse your situation was with your partner, the longer they seemed to leave you in the room.”
She questioned how much information relationship experts Paul C. Brunson, Charlene Douglas and the late Mel Schilling had received. The contestant said: “The experts had zero idea what was going on. They gave good advice based on the information they had.”
After watching the Panorama episode, the bride believes the worst is yet to come. She added: “They need to properly safeguard people instead of just creating drama. This Panorama story is only the beginning of hearing the nightmares people have had.”
The bombshell claims come as Channel 4 removed all ten series from its platforms and scrapped the series due to air in September following a BBC Panorama investigation that revealed two women claim they were raped by their on-screen “husbands” during filming, while another made allegations of sexual assault against her partner.
The Metropolitan Police has now urged potential victims to come forward, stating they will be “making approaches to the relevant production teams” to ensure anyone affected knows how to report criminal allegations.
The scandal has blown open the production practices used in dating reality shows which have been growing in popularity over recent years.
Monday’s documentary sparked a political row, with Channel 4 CEO Priya Dogra telling MPs the broadcaster was “not an adjudicator” on the serious allegations. But it is feared this is just the tip of the iceberg for dating reality shows and these new claims put pressure on producers and broadcasters to clean up their act.
Channel 4 has commissioned an external review while insisting their welfare protocols are “some of the most comprehensive and robust in the industry”. Industry sources say the show is unlikely to ever air in the UK again.
The Mirror put these allegations to CPL and to Channel 4 who directed us to their statement in full. Part of this includes: “MAFS UK is produced under some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry. These include the most thorough background checks available, a Code of Conduct which clearly sets out behavioural standards, daily contributor check-ins with a specialist welfare team and access to additional support before, during and after filming. The physical and psychological wellbeing of all contributors is of paramount importance throughout the process. All duty of care processes are regularly reviewed and, where appropriate, strengthened.”
Another section of the statement reads: “Channel 4 believes that when concerns related to contributor welfare were raised through existing welfare and production protocols, prompt and appropriate action was taken, based on the information available at the time. Channel 4 strongly refutes any claim to the contrary.”
READ MORE: ‘Serious concerns’ raised with Channel 4 and Ofcom over Married At First Sight rape claims
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