Married at First Sight UK: Channel 4 removes episodes after rape allegations emerge

Shona Manderson appeared on the 2023 series of Married at First Sight UK. Photo / CPL Productions

Warning: This article discusses allegations of sexual assault and rape.

Episodes of Married at First Sight UK have been removed after a BBC investigation uncovered shock allegations from two brides who say they were raped during filming, with a third describing an alleged non-consensual sex act.

All three women said the show failed to adequately protect them.

The show is based around the premise of strangers meeting for the first time on their wedding day – although these are not legally binding marriages.

Channel 4, which broadcasts Married at First Sight (MAFS) in the UK, was aware of some of the allegations before the BBC broadcast its investigation, and had previously told the BBC all the allegations were uncorroborated and disputed.

After the investigation aired Channel 4 removed all episodes of MAFS UK.

Shona Manderson, a contestant who appeared on the 2023 series, was among those who spoke to the BBC.

Manderson alleged her on-screen partner Bradley Skelly committed a non-consensual sex act.

“I was shocked, I was confused, we said we weren’t doing that,” she told the BBC.

About a week after leaving MAFS, Manderson discovered she was pregnant, although she didn’t know if it was Skelly’s.

Skelly and Manderson stayed together for six weeks after leaving the show before separating.

CPL, the production company behind the show, and Channel 4 decided to remove the couple from the show shortly after the incident, amid concerns the relationship was potentially unhealthy, the BBC reported.

Skelly told the BBC he categorically denied “any allegations of sexual misconduct” or that he was “controlling”.

Shona Manderson appeared on the 2023 series of Married at First Sight UK. Photo / CPL Productions

Another woman, known as Lizzie to protect her anonymity, alleged her on-screen husband raped her during the taping of the show.

She said her on-screen husband would at times “just explode” and go into an “absolute focused anger”, the BBC reported.

She said she “froze with fear” during the alleged rape, which left visible fingerprints where he had grabbed her.

“He said that if I told anybody what had happened, that he would get someone to throw acid at me,” Lizzie told the BBC.

Lawyers for Lizzie’s on-screen husband denied all claims against him.

A third woman, known as Chloe, engaged in consensual sex with her on-screen husband, but on one occasion he had started to have sex with her even after she said no.

The man continued before recognising she was not participating and stopped.

Lawyers for CPL said its welfare protocols were “gold standard”.

On the show, couples discuss their “marriages” with relationship experts. CPL told the BBC experts carry out psychological checks on contributors, and provide oversight by a welfare team and offer access to psychologists and ongoing support.

In a statement regarding an external review of MAFS, Channel 4’s chief executive, Priya Dogra, expressed her sympathy to contributors “who have clearly been distressed”.

“When concerns about contributor welfare were raised, and based on the information available at the time, Channel 4 acted quickly, appropriately, sensitively and with wellbeing front and centre,” she said.