Sophie Brown, a star of E4's Married At First Sight UK, has announced her engagement, finding her 'happy ever after' three years after a highly publicised and difficult split from her on-screen husband.
A Sun-Soaked Proposal Down Under
The reality TV personality took to Instagram on Wednesday to share the joyful news that her boyfriend, James Preset, had proposed during a trip to his hometown of Adelaide, Australia. Sophie posted a photograph of the romantic beachside moment on Glenelg Beach, where James was pictured on one knee, with both dressed in white for the occasion.
The overjoyed bride-to-be captioned the image: 'Just when life couldn’t get any better'. Her former co-stars from the show were quick to flood the comments with congratulations. Rizz Darlington exclaimed, 'Omg congratulations', while Zoe Clifton and Chanita Stephenson also shared their happy messages for the couple.
Moving On From a 'Painful' Past
Sophie's journey to this happy moment follows her 'painful' experience on MAFS UK in 2022, where she was paired with Johnathan Wileman. Their relationship, which began with a wedding upon first meeting, later became a source of public controversy and personal hurt for Sophie.
During the series, Johnathan made comments about not liking women to have 'big, horse legs', sparking a significant discussion about body image both on and off screen. Sophie later revealed how this impacted her, stating that it ignited online commentary about her weight and appearance.
'People would say things like, "Well, she is a bit chubby,"' she admitted after the show aired. 'I’m like, "Oh my gosh, I’m size 10, I’m a really normal size," so that must be hard for other women seeing those comments too.'
A Complicated Legacy of Body Image Talk
The conversation around body-shaming extended beyond Sophie's own experience. She was later herself accused of body-shaming, after Amy Christophers from the 2021 series claimed that Sophie and co-star Adrian Sanderson had laughed about fat-shaming comments aimed at Amy during a live stream.
Both Sophie and Adrian responded publicly to the allegation. Sophie stated she was 'not aware of some comments made on lives' and condemned such behaviour, drawing on her own painful experience. 'I know exactly how it feels which makes it worse,' she said. 'I've had that backlash and I know how it feels... I don't condone any behaviour that's aimed towards anyone.'
Adrian Sanderson also responded on his Instagram Stories, saying he wished he had been told at the time so he could have shut down any hateful comments, affirming that he does not condone online hate.
Now, with her romantic engagement in Australia, Sophie Brown's story turns a new page, marking a positive and personal milestone far removed from the scrutiny of her reality TV past.
