A BBC Panorama found Channel 4 did not do enough to protect them. In an investigation led by journalist Noor Nanji, it has been revealed that mutliple women were raped by their on show husbands.
Two women have told BBC’s panorama they were raped by their on-screen husbands on Married at First Sight.
They say Channel 4 did not do enough to protect them.
The two women and one other who alleged a non-consensual sex act spoke to the BBC to stop other women going through what they did.
Married at First Sight is a “social experiment” reality TV show, where contestants “marry” a stranger at first sight. The couples are partnered by “the experts”.
Channel 4 and independent production company CPL who produce the UK version are under fire.
The investigation by Noor Nanji follows the stories of these three women.
“I don’t think that because you’re going on reality TV, you deserve in any way for things like this to happen to you,” said Shona Manderson, the only named woman.
Shona appeared on season 3 of Married at First Sight UK. She told Panorama that production did not listen to her concerns when her husband took things too far during sex.
The allegations are as follows:
- One woman said her onscreen husband raped her and threatened her with an acid attack. She now wants to pursue legal action against CPL
- A second woman told both Channel 4 and CPL, before broadcast, about being allegedly raped by her onscreen husband. Her episodes were still aired
- A third woman accused her onscreen husband of sexual misconduct.”
Lawyers for CPL told the BBC their welfare process was “gold standard”.
Lizzie (not her real name) told Panorama her on-screen husbands first showed “red flags” on their honeymoon.
“He would just explode, he would go into this absolute focused anger,” she told the BBC.
Later on, their sex turned violent. But Lizzie was too frightened to tell anyone, saying: “He said that if I told anybody what had happened, that he would get someone to throw acid at me.”
Lizzie tried to bring this up to him when they were alone. But that night, he attacked her.
“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.
“But he kept saying, ‘You can’t say no, you’re my wife’. And he just did it anyway,” she told the BBC.
Channel 4’s outgoing chief content officer, Ian Katz, told the BBC: “They are obviously very serious allegations. We want to see the show and when we see the show we will respond.”
Lizzie is taking legal action against production company CPL. Her barrister Charlotte Proudman told Panorama that the programme showed: “a lack of curiosity, a lack of the ability to ask important questions and the failure to implement basic safeguarding measures.”
Chole’s (not her real name) on screen husband told her “You’re making me feel like a rapist,” after she said no to sex.
Before the show aired, Chloe complained to Channel 4 about CPL’s welfare process. She told the BBC the broadcaster told her found CPL had complied with all procedures.
Lawyers for CPL told the BBC they supported Chloe and that before making her rape allegation she told them the sex was consensual.
Chloe and Lizzie are not named as they have legal anonymity as victims of sex offences.
The Panorama documentary will be out tonight at 20:00 BST.
