Two Married at First Sight UK wives claim they were raped by onscreen husbands

By Christian Edwards, CNN

(CNN) — Two women have alleged they were raped during the filming of Married at First Sight UK, according to a BBC investigation that prompted Channel 4, a British broadcaster, to remove all previous seasons of the reality TV show while it reviews the allegations.

The show, known as MAFS, bills itself as a “bold social experiment” in which single people “marry” strangers who meet for the first time on their wedding day, although the marriage is not legally binding. The couples – while being filmed almost daily – then go on “honeymoon,” move in together and navigate their relationship.

A third woman has alleged she was subjected to a non-consensual sex act during the filming of the show. The three former participants told BBC Panorama, which broadcast an investigation into the allegations on Monday, that the show did not do enough to protect them.

The BBC claimed that Channel 4 was aware of some of the allegations before the MAFS series in question were broadcast and that the episodes featuring the women had been available on its streaming service until recently.

Channel 4 said it had removed all episodes of the show from its streaming and linear services, as well as from the MAFS social channels, and commissioned an external review.

“In April, Channel 4 was presented with serious allegations of wrongdoing against a small number of past contributors, allegations that we understand those contributors have denied,” it said.

“The channel is mindful of the privacy and continuing duty of care towards all contributors, and cannot comment on or disclose details of those allegations.”

The broadcaster said that when concerns about the welfare of the show’s participants were raised through its existing protocols, “prompt and appropriate action” was taken. “Channel 4 strongly refutes any claim to the contrary,” it added.

Priya Dogra, Channel 4’s chief executive, expressed her sympathy to the participants who had “clearly been distressed” after appearing on the show. “The wellbeing of our contributors is always of paramount importance.”

The show is part of a hugely successful international franchise spanning multiple countries, including the United States and Australia.

Lawyers for CPL, an independent production company that makes the British version, told the BBC its welfare system was industry-leading and “gold-standard,” and that it had acted appropriately in all of these cases.

In response to the BBC investigation, the British government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the allegations are “serious” and that “everyone working and participating in television must be treated with dignity and respect at all times.” It warned there must be “consequences for criminality or wrongdoing.”

‘You can’t say no, you’re my wife’

One participant, whom the BBC did not name, said her onscreen husband raped her and threatened her with an acid attack.

She claimed that she noticed “red flags” about her partner on the show almost immediately, and that their sex soon turned violent. He would bruise her during sex, she said, even though she “kept saying stop.”

“We were in our apartment, on the sofa, and he tried to have sex with me. And I kept saying no, that I didn’t want to do it,” she said. “But he kept saying, ‘You can’t say no, you’re my wife.’ And he just did it anyway.”

Lawyers acting for the woman’s onscreen husband told the BBC that he denies rape and said that all sexual contact had been entirely consensual. They also said that he denies any violence or violent threats towards her.

Lawyers for CPL said the bruises were described to its welfare team at the time as the result of rough, but consensual sex. They said the woman did not tell the company about her partner telling her she “can’t say no” to him, and that she had reported the acid-throwing comment as a passing remark, but not a threat. The lawyers said CPL acted immediately once the woman said she felt unsafe.

A second woman said she began having consensual sex with her onscreen husband, but that he had had sex with her after she told him “no,” on one occasion.

She told the BBC that she informed both Channel 4 and CPL about the alleged rape, but that her episodes were aired anyway. Lawyers for her onscreen husband said he challenges details of her account. They said the sex began consensually but that she had then communicated through her body language that she was no longer consenting and he stopped immediately at that point.

Lawyers for CPL said the woman had told the company that all sexual activity was fully consensual.

A third woman, Shona Manderson, who appeared on camera in the BBC Panorama program, alleged that her onscreen husband, Bradley Skelley, had subjected her to a nonconsensual sex act by ejaculating inside her without permission when they had previously agreed to withdrawal as a method of contraception. She told the BBC she later became pregnant and had an abortion. Manderson said she does not know if the pregnancy resulted from the alleged incident.

CPL and Channel 4 removed Manderson and her onscreen husband from the show shortly after the incident, in 2023, due to concerns that their relationship was potentially unhealthy.

In a statement reported by the BBC, Skelley denied “any allegations of sexual misconduct” and said he understood Shona had consented to him ejaculating inside her that night. Their relationship “was based on mutual consent, care and affection,” he said, rejecting suggestions that he was “controlling.”

Following the BBC report, Dogra, Channel 4’s chief executive, said: “We take these issues very seriously and are committed to ensuring that we continue to lead the industry in our duty of care for contributors.”

“Based on what we knew at the time, we acted appropriately, quickly and with sensitivity,” she said in a videotaped statement.

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