Married At First Sight rape scandal is 'the tip of the iceberg' in reality TV, warns lawyer who says more female contestants have been subjected to abuse on dating shows

Published: 18:43, 23 May 2026 | Updated: 18:58, 23 May 2026 The alleged rapes and sexual abuse on Channel 4's Married at First Sight (MAFS) UK are 'just the tip of the iceberg' of the abuse on reality television, a campaigning lawyer has claimed. Charlotte Proudman, who represents one of the women who sensationally claims they were raped on the hit show where complete strangers marry and move in together, says she knows the scale of the issue across reality TV is huge from her own research. Calling for the reality TV experiment to be cancelled, she also accused broadcasters of 'prioritising clicks and viewership above protection and safeguarding' and said people who worked on the 'so-called welfare teams' on shows like MAFS were 'not sufficiently trained to provide protection and support for victims'. The lawyer, whose client Lizzie, a pseudonym for her real name, told this week's Panorama that she was raped and threatened with an acid attack by her MAFS UK onscreen spouse - who denies the claims - said the problem was exacerbated by such reality shows' deliberate pairings to trigger 'explosive outbursts' for better viewing figures. 'I know this is the tip of the iceberg not just for Married at First Sight but for the wider industry because I've spoken to women who have been former contestants on dating and reality TV shows who have experienced what I would categorise as domestic abuse,' said Ms Proudman, who herself hit the headlines as a young barrister when she called out a senior solicitor for complimenting her LinkedIn photo. 'From what they have told me there appears to be a lack of due diligence and professional curiosity, perhaps intentionally, on who they're pairing people up with,' she added. Ms Proudman, who now runs her own legal firm, accused producers of 'having a vested interest' or even being 'incentivised' to encourage 'high conflict relationships and environments' where they made sure 'it was all recorded on camera'. MAFS UK's forthcoming series which was already filmed and ready to broadcast has now been shelved as have all repeats of the show. Charlotte Proudman is a lawyer who represents one of the women who has claimed she was raped during her appearance on Married at First Sight Shona Manderson alleged in a Panorama documentary that her on-screen husband Bradley Skelly engaged in a non-consensual sex act during the show's filming. He has denied the allegation However, the popularity of the MAFS franchise is massive with 29 versions across the world including MAFS Australia which has just been broadcast in the UK and MAFS USA which is currently on air. In all incarnations of the show worldwide, the couples go through a wedding ceremony which is not legally binding, go away on honeymoon together after their weddings and then move in together in an apartment block. They appear at weekly dinner parties with the other couples and then take part in 'on the couch' sessions in front of the other couples to dissect their relationships with three relationship counsellors. Weekly tasks are set for the couples to encourage intimacy and relationships to develop at a fast pace. More than three million typically tune in to the UK version of the show, making it one of Channel 4's most lucrative shows. But this week's Panorama heard allegations from one woman on camera who claimed she had been subjected to a non-consensual sex act and two anonymous women who claimed they had been raped on the show. All three accused the production welfare team from CPL, which makes the show for Channel 4, of not doing enough to help them. Two women alleged they had been raped by their onscreen 'husbands' while the third, Shona Manderson, who waived her anonymity to appear, said her 'husband' had taken things too far during sex without her consent. None of the women had contacted the police about the incidents by the time of broadcast and the three 'husbands' involved deny the claims. Lizzie, who is represented by Ms Proudman, told Panorama she had raised 'red flag' concerns about her 'husband's' temper and his comments that he and his ex had been violent together, to CPL early in filming after he flared up on their honeymoon. Lawyers for CPL said that when the welfare team spoke to him he told them he had been the victim of violence, not the perpetrator. Lizzie claims she was later violently raped and then threatened with an acid attack by her 'husband' if she told anyone. When she spoke to CPL, she says photos were taken of her bruises by a welfare team member. But CPL say the bruises were described to the welfare team by Lizzie as being the result of rough but consensual sex. Channel 4 Chief Executive Priya Dogra, who assumed the role in December last year, has said she is 'deeply sorry' for the distress caused to the women who alleged they had been raped. Amid the ongoing fallout from last week's allegations, former Channel 4 chief executive Lord Grade of Yarmouth, previously Ofcom chairman, warned that reality television shows were moving closer to the 'abyss'. He has called for broadcasters to reassess the shows they order and says that when you see the 'suite of protocols and duty of care' required to protect the public on such shows as MAFS, it shows 'a real danger for me' that reality shows are 'crossing a line into exploitation'. A Channel 4 spokeswoman said MAFS UK was 'produced under some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry'. No comments have so far been submitted. 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