A cast member from Married at First Sight UK has been arrested on suspicion of rape, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed. The individual, who has not been named, was arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct on the reality television programme.
The Met said in a statement: “This arrest relates to an ongoing investigation being led by the Met police. He has since been bailed while inquiries remain ongoing.” The force previously issued a plea in May for anyone who believed they had been a victim of sexual assault during their time on the show to come forward.
The appeal followed a BBC Panorama investigation in which two women alleged they had been raped by their on-screen husbands on the show, while a third woman accused her on-screen husband of subjecting her to a non-consensual sex act. All the men deny the claims. Since the programme aired, the BBC said it had been contacted by former participants raising concerns.
The Met has been in touch with Channel 4, which broadcasts the show, and CPL, the independent production company behind it. Channel 4’s chief executive, Priya Dogra, has said she is “deeply sorry” for the distress of female participants who have made allegations, while standing by the broadcaster’s handling of concerns. Channel 4 has ordered two investigations: one into its handling of complaints from contestants, and a second into whether safeguarding protocols need to change.
In Married at First Sight, strangers are matched by experts and meet for the first time at a mock marriage ceremony. They are housed together during the programme and decide whether to stay together. Lawyers for CPL have previously described its welfare system as “gold standard” and said criticisms from former crew members “do not reflect the vast majority of positive experiences” of the more than 1,200 production team members who have worked across all series.
