Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
WARNING: Graphic content
A bombshell investigation has revealed two women alleged they were raped by their on-screen husbands in the British version of Married at First Sight, and a third accused her partner in the show of sexual misconduct.
Channel Nine has removed all previous seasons of the British version of Married At First Sight after multiple women alleged they were victims of rape and sexual misconduct during filming of the reality TV series.
The shocking claims made against the UK version of the show were laid bare by BBC’s current affairs program, Panorama, in an episode called The Dark Side of Married At First Sight.
According to the program, all three women claimed MAFS UK did not do enough to protect them.
On Monday, British broadcaster Channel 4 said it had removed all previous seasons of the show from its streaming and social media platforms.
Australia’s Channel Nine also followed suit and has pulled all MAFS UK episodes from its streaming sites.
Channel 4 said it was presented with “very serious allegations of wrongdoing” in April against a small number of past contributors. The UK broadcaster said it understood the “contributors have denied” those allegations.
It added that “prompt and appropriate action was taken” when concerns related to contributor welfare were raised.
“Channel 4 strongly refutes any claim to the contrary,” the broadcaster said.
Lawyers for the independent production company that makes the UK version of MAFS, CPL, said it acted appropriately in line with its “gold standard” welfare protocols.
A contestant who starred on a previous season of MAFS UK, appeared on Panorama’s episode, claiming her on-screen partner ejaculated inside her without her consent.
The couple stayed together for six weeks after departing from the show but broke up a short time later.
The woman said it was after leaving the show that she found out she was pregnant and decided to terminate the pregnancy.
“I made the choice to go through with an abortion. It was really hard,” she told Panorama.
She admitted she does not know if the pregnancy resulted from the alleged incident.
It is further alleged by the woman that her partner’s controlling mannerism at the time of the incident did not go unnoticed by the experts on the show.
In a statement to the BBC, the woman’s on-screen partner said he denies “any allegations of sexual misconduct” or that he was “controlling”, adding that the pair’s relationship “was based on mutual consent, care and affection.”
Another bride, known by the pseudonym ‘Lizzie’, alleged her MAFS husband raped her, bruised her and threatened her with an acid attack if she told anyone.
She claims she “froze with fear” as the alleged attack occurred and was left with visible fingerprints where she had been grabbed.
“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 told the BBC.
“But he kept saying, ‘You can’t say no, you’re my wife’. And he just did it anyway.”
Lawyers representing Lizzie’s on-screen husband said he denies rape and being violent, adding that any sexual contact was consensual.
A third woman, named ‘Chloe’ to protect her identity, accused her on-screen partner of groping her while she slept and raping her after saying “no”.
Chloe, who was portrayed by an actor in the Panorama episode, told the program the couple had been engaging in consensual sex but her partner crossed the line on one occasion when he allegedly persisted despite her telling him to stop.
She told the programme he then chillingly said to her, “you’re making me feel like a rapist”.
“After I left the show I felt I had completely lost my grip and I had intrusive thoughts of my own death, she said, according to The Sun.
“And then when the show went out that really intensified into suicidal thoughts, which is not something I had ever thought of before.
“It was frightening.”
She claims she reported the assault to producers before the episodes aired but they were still broadcast.
Lawyers for CPL denied claims that Chloe asked to be removed from the show. They added that her concerns during filming were taken seriously and she said all sexual activity was consensual before making the rape claim.
In a statement on Monday, Channel4’s chief executive Priya Dogra said: “I want to express my sympathy to contributors who have clearly been distressed after taking part in Married At First Sight UK. The wellbeing of our contributors is always of paramount importance.
“It would be wholly inappropriate for me to comment on what are very serious allegations made against some MAFS UK contributors.
“Those allegations – which I understand are disputed by the contributors accused – are not something that Channel 4 is in a position to adjudicate on.
“We are also mindful of our ongoing duty of care to all contributors, and the need to preserve the anonymity and privacy of all involved.
“On the claims that Channel 4 may have failed in its duty of care, I believe that 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.”
Channel Nine declined to comment regarding the allegations.
