A participant of the latest series of Married at First Sight UK has hit out at the show over its alleged treatment of participants during production.
Nathanial Valentino went on the show and was paired up with bride Ella Morgan, a 29-year-old nurse and MAFS' first ever transgender participant.
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But events manager Nathanial has since quit the show and claimed that the production actively tried to create conflict between partners, as well as ignoring their preferences when choosing a partner.
He said in an interview with The Mirror: “The way some were treated on the show became very dark. Pretty much from the start it was a complete sham."
The 36-year old added: "I don’t want to upset the good, kind people who work on the show, but what happened to me can’t happen to another person.
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"This show needs to have a ‘For Entertainment Purposes’ all over it. If you go on, you will have a devil whispering in your ear the entire time."
This was in reference to a part of the production team who were called 'The Story', and who Nathanial claims were responsible for pushing participants in a certain direction to fit the story.
Nathanial said: "My only deal-breakers were that she didn’t smoke and didn’t work in the sex industry. That’s why I was angry when I learned, before we went on honeymoon, Ella worked as a stripper."
He continued: "But when I asked to speak to my welfare person, I was told it wasn’t a good time. Another occasion, a producer told me I wouldn’t be asked about my family. Not long after, Ella asked me why she was being encouraged to ask me about my family.
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"That was the kind of manipulation that went on. The Story were like goblins whispering in people’s ears. I’d be having a great conversation with Ella, she would be pulled away and, five minutes later, we’d have an argument about the exact same thing.
"One couple were really broken down by their manipulations. I watched a person have a full-on panic attack in my apartment."
E4 has denied allegations that participants were forced to stay in their apartments, and that production staff try to manipulate the couples.
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A Channel 4 Spokesperson told TYLA: "Nathanial entered this process voluntarily with full and informed consent, and in this instance was actually provided with more information than we would ordinarily share with cast members, to make him aware that his bride was trans. The matching process entails a detailed interrogation of every participant’s preferences and none of these would be overlooked when deciding who to pair them with.
"The welfare of all contributors on Married at First Sight UK is our top priority and we ensure that appropriate support is available to contributors at all times before, during and after filming – including 24/7 access to a member of the welfare team or psych support.
"The show is an unscripted reality series which follows real events as they naturally unfold, and is in no way scripted."
Tyla has reached out to Ella Morgan for further comment.
Topics: UK News, Married At First Sight, TV And Film, Channel 4
Kit Roberts