In a new Panorama documentary about Married At First Sight UK, Shona Manderson accused her onscreen husband, Bradley Skelly, of a non-consensual sex act. Now, she has taken to Instagram to share why she chose to speak out, and to thank followers for their support.
In the episode, which aired on Monday night, two separate women who appeared on the hit dating show alleged they had been raped during filming. Shona then alleged that Brad had ejaculated inside her without her consent.
Following that, Shona said she went to get the morning-after pill and was accompanied by one of the show's welfare producers. According to the BBC, lawyers for production company CPL said Shona had told the production company at the time that Bradley had not asked for permission to ejaculate inside of her, but that she said she did not have an issue with it. Lawyers also said Bradley told CPL he had been wearing a condom.
Lawyers acting for Bradley Skelly subsequently told Panorama he was not wearing a condom, but that he understood Shona had consented to him ejaculating inside her, with the documentary explaining: "Bradley Skelly says he understood Shona had consented that night. He categorically denies any allegations of sexual misconduct or that he was controlling. He says their relationship was based on mutual consent, care and affection".
Days later, Shona and Bradley were removed from the experiment, and she said that she discovered she was pregnant. "I made the choice to go through with an abortion. It was really hard," she told Panorama, adding that she doesn't know for sure if the pregnancy was a result of the alleged incident with Bradley. They stayed together for six weeks after leaving the show, but then split.
Now, Shona has spoken out about the documentary and her involvement in two separate Instagram posts. "Speaking up scared me but staying silent felt heavier ❤️🩹" she wrote in the caption, explaining she had spent a year filming the documentary. "This wasn’t a decision I took lightly. It honestly scared me and I went back and forth on whether to take part for a long time, but I was deeply impacted by my experience on MAFS.
"I chose to speak because I hoped that sharing my experience could contribute to a wider conversation around welfare and positive change. I also want to say this isn’t about individuals. There were people within production who showed me real kindness and support and there were aspects of my welfare experience that felt strong."
She went on to explain how the show had made her "extremely emotionally distressed" at times, and how she remembers "leaving the experiment carrying a lot of self-blame."
Shona then also lamented the financial support offered for contestants on the show, adding, "I believe there is room for stronger processes: more in-person casting, deeper checks, clearer support and stronger interventions around concerning behaviour.
"I believe there is room for accountability and change. And I hope moving forward more women feel empowered to trust themselves, speak up and know that they matter."
In response to the allegations made by the three contestants in the Panorama documentary, Channel 4 shared a press release. It also removed all episodes of the programme from its streaming service, alongside MAFS UK social channels.
"MAFS UK is produced under some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry. These include the most thorough background checks available, a Code of Conduct, which clearly sets out behavioural standards, daily contributor check-ins with a specialist welfare team and access to additional support before, during and after filming," the channel said in its statement. "The physical and psychological well-being of all contributors is of paramount importance throughout the process. All duty of care processes are regularly reviewed and, where appropriate, strengthened."
The statement continued: "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."
CPL said its welfare system was "gold standard" and industry-leading, and that it acted appropriately in all these cases.
Read Channel 4's full statement here.
Bradley Skelly told the BBC that he categorically denies "any allegations of sexual misconduct" or being "controlling". He said their relationship "was based on mutual consent, care and affection".
Cosmopolitan UK has reached out to Channel 4 and CPL for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, support is available:
Rape Crisis England & Wales (0808 500 2222), The Survivors Trust (0808 801 0818), Victim Support, and NHS Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) all offer free confidential support.
