Three women have come forward, alleging they were sexually assaulted by their husbands on the show “Married At First Sight UK,” which has led to the program’s cancellation.
According to reports, Channel 4 has initiated an external examination after two of the women accused their husbands of rape. One woman alleged that her husband even threatened her with an acid attack. Another woman named Shona Manderson described a non-consensual incident where her husband ejaculated inside her against her will. She later learned she was pregnant and chose to undergo an abortion. All the men implicated have denied the allegations.
The show typically matches singles with strangers, introducing them to one another at a staged wedding.
Lawyers for CPL, the production company behind the UK version, asserted that their welfare measures are of the highest standard and claimed they acted appropriately regarding the allegations.
Manderson and the other two women expressed that not enough was done to safeguard them. “I don’t think going on reality TV means you should face such horrors,” Manderson stated.
One woman, referred to as “Lizzie,” said she spotted troubling signs about her onscreen partner during their honeymoon when he lost his temper. “His anger was intense,” she recounted, claiming he mentioned having a violent past with a previous partner and that she contacted CPL about it.
CPL’s attorneys stated that the man claimed Lizzie was the one being violent towards him, and reportedly, she later told them she did not feel at risk. However, Lizzie alleged that after they had consensual sex, their encounters turned violent, and she consistently told him to stop.
“He threatened me, saying that if I told anyone, he’d have someone throw acid on me,” she said. “In our apartment, despite my saying no, he went ahead and forced himself on me.”
Describing the encounter as “penetrative sex,” Lizzie said she showed her bruises to the welfare team the next morning. CPL’s attorneys claimed that the team was informed the bruises came from consensual activity and that Lizzie didn’t initially report the threat about acid.
Her lawyer, Charlotte Proudman, criticized the show’s representatives for their apparent lack of inquiry into the situation and failure to implement essential safeguarding procedures. Channel 4 said they aired Lizzie’s episodes because they were unaware of the prior rape allegations.
The second woman, identified as “Chloe,” alleged her husband groped her while she was asleep. She explained that even though they engaged in consensual sex, there was a moment she said “no,” yet he continued. “I was too scared to react because I didn’t want him to get angry in front of the cameras,” she shared.
Chloe said when her partner noticed she was unresponsive, he asked if she wanted it, to which she replied no, but he became angry, suggesting she should have struggled. Her husband’s legal team contested her specific claims, arguing he stopped when he sensed her discomfort.
Chloe alleged that watching the show made her feel suicidal. Meanwhile, CPL insisted they adhered to welfare standards and took her complaints seriously.
Manderson, who was matched with Bradley Skelly, said that after an initially “magical” kiss, things shifted. Reports indicated that Skelly expressed a desire to test Manderson’s limits although he understood her boundaries. Manderson claimed they had agreed to use the withdrawal method but that Skelly ejaculated inside her without her consent at one point.
“I couldn’t believe it. We had discussions about this,” she told the BBC.
CPL stated they communicated with the couple days after the incident, and while Manderson initially shared her concerns, she later indicated she had none. They reported Skelly claimed he used a condom, although his lawyers later said he didn’t wear one during that encounter. Skelly adamantly denied any sexual misconduct.
Manderson discovered she was pregnant a week after leaving the show, though she isn’t sure if it resulted from the alleged non-consensual act. “Going through with the abortion was incredibly challenging,” she remarked.
None of the women filed police reports. Channel 4’s CEO, Priya Dogra, asserted that they acted promptly to the initial claims and are reevaluating their processes to enhance participant welfare. She noted an external review of contributor welfare on the show has been commissioned, with findings expected in the coming months.
