Panorama documentary The Dark Side of Married at First Sight will air at 8pm on Monday and contains allegations of serious sexual assault by two “husbands” during filming of the hit show
Two women have made allegations that they were raped by their on-screen husbands during the filming of hit TV show Married at First Sight UK.
The unnamed women have accused the show of not doing enough to protect them during filming of the experiment, which sees couples meet for the first time on their televised wedding day. Both men accused of sex attacks have denied the allegations.
One woman told the Panorama documentary, which is set to air tonight, that her husband, “kept saying, ‘You can’t say no, you’re my wife'”.
She told The Dark Side of Married at First Sight programme: “And he just did it anyway… I just completely froze with fear and I never, ever thought anything could scare me that much.”
She claims that she now wants to pursue legal action against CPL, an independent production company which makes the UK version of the show.
Channel 4 has removed all previous seasons from its streaming platforms following the allegations. Lawyers for the production company said its welfare system is “gold standard” and industry-leading, and that it acted appropriately in all these cases.
A second woman claimed that after she had moved in with her husband, he took the blankets off her while she slept and groped her.
And she described another occasion where she claimed she said “no” after he asked if they should have sex.
The broadcaster said in a statement on Monday night: “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.
“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. Related to those allegations, Channel 4 was asked to respond to claims of failures in welfare protocols.
“Channel 4 believes that when concerns related to contributor welfare were raised through existing welfare and production protocols, prompt and appropriate action was taken, based on the information available at the time.
“Channel 4 strongly refutes any claim to the contrary.”
Priya Dogra, chief executive of Channel 4 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.”
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