A third accused her on-screen partner of sexual misconduct, and claimed she had to have an abortion weeks after leaving the show, The Sun reports. Married At First Sight, based on a Danish reality TV format, has been a huge hit around the world including in Australia. The allegations are only about the British version of the show. An investigation by UK current affairs programPanorama, from the BBC, has seen all three women criticising British broadcaster Channel 4 for not doing enough to protect them.
The broadcaster says the claims are “wholly uncorroborated and disputed”. It has since removed all previous seasons of Married At First Sight UK (MAFS UK) from its streaming platforms. Channel 4 said the decision was made following “very serious allegations of wrongdoing” made against a small number of past contributors. In the programs, to be aired on Monday in the UK, MAFS contestant Shona Manderson, who appeared on the show in 2023, was one of the brides who made an allegation. Ms Manderson said she
had an abortion after claiming her on-screen partner ejaculated inside her without permission. She claims experts had separately picked up on her partner’s controlling mannerisms at the time of the incident. She told how she later went to get the morning-after pill while accompanied by one of the show’s welfare producers. But days after CPL – the production company behind the show – and Channel 4 removed the couple, Ms Manderson discovered she was pregnant. She told Panorama: “I made the choice to go through
with an abortion. It was really hard”. Ms Manderson admitted she does not know if the pregnancy resulted from the alleged incident. The couple stayed together for six weeks after leaving the show, but separated shortly afterwards. Another bride, who is known as “Lizzie” to protect her anonymity, alleged her on-screen husband raped her and threatened to throw acid at her. She told how she “froze with fear” during the alleged attack, which left her with visible fingerprints where he had grabbed her. “Chloe”, a
third victim whose name has been changed to protect her identity, told bosses she was raped before her series was aired. She told how both she and her on-screen husband had been engaging in consensual sex, but he had proceeded on one occasion after she said no. Chloe told the program he then said to her, “you’re making me feel like a rapist”. The BBC warned the investigation raises serious concerns that welfare procedures on the hit reality series have failed. However, the men deny
all the allegations against them. Channel 4 and CPL have said that the welfare protocols are robust and comprehensive. In a statement, Channel 4 said: “We have not seen the program and will comment when we know more”. The article was published in The Sun and is reproduced with permission.
Married At First Sight UK, MAFS, Channel 4, CPL, BBC Panorama, Shona Manderson, Lizzie, Chloe, rape allegations, welfare protocols, abortion
So they took it off streaming but the damage is already done. Makes no sense.
I saw a headline about MAFS and thought it was like a dating show drama but now it’s rape claims?? Also they keep saying it’s “wholly uncorroborated” like that helps anybody.
Wait, they removed previous seasons because of “allegations” but Channel 4 says it’s disputed. How is that not just PR? And if she was pregnant weeks later doesn’t that mean she cheated or something? I’m not saying she did, just like… the timeline is confusing.
This show always felt weirdly predatory to me. Like the whole “welfare producer” thing… if she’s claiming non-consent and they’re around her for pill appointments, then where were they protecting her for real. Also deleting episodes feels like sweeping under a rug, not fixing anything. They shouldn’t wait for an investigation to take women seriously.