A damning episode of Panorama, ‘The Dark Side of Married at First Sight’, was released on Monday night which saw three MAFS UK brides, including series 6’s Shona Manderson allege sexual assault by their onscreen husbands during filming.

Their claims have triggered an external investigation to show’s welfare protocols, as Channel 4’s Chief Executive Priya Dogra insists: “We take these issues very seriously and are committed to ensuring that we continue to lead the industry in our duty of care for contributors”

Shona is the only bride who has shared her identity, opening up about how she feels she was sexually violated by her onscreen husband, Bradley Shelly, while she was filming the show.

MAFS UK’s Shona has made allegations against Brad public. Picture: Channel 4

Speaking in the Panorama interview, Shona said: “In bed we were being intimate, [it was] consensual, completely consensual and we were having sex and a boundary was crossed completely.

“My partner came inside me, without my consent. We had a agreed that we were pulling out. I was shocked. I was confused, we said that weren’t doing that.”

Shona didn’t initially disclose what had happened but around the same time in filming, the show’s experts had started to pick up on the “controlling” way Brad was communicating with Shona.

Eventually, Shona shared what had happened with the welfare team at CPL (the production company) and they took her for the morning after pill. They claimed that after discussions Shona had said she “didn’t have an issue with it”.

Despite this, Shona and Brad were removed from the show, a decision made by CPL and Channel 4 to “safeguard the couple’s welfare”. The pair split six weeks after leaving the reality show.

Brad Shelly shared this quote to his Instagram. Picture: Instagram

Brad shared a statement with Panorama vehemently denying Shona’s claims, saying he understood that Shona had consented that night. He categorically denies any allegations of sexual misconduct or that he was controlling.

He said their relationship was based on “mutual consent care and affection”.

While he has already given a statement, MAFS UK fans have hoped Brad would address the claims in more depth. He is yet to publicly respond but shared something to his Instagram story which fans believe is his way of cryptically addressing the allegations.

He shared a quote that reads: ‘Amor Fati – The discipline of embracing every event as a necessary for your path.’