A rundown of Bradley Skelly’s controversial time on MAFS UK, as ex Shona speaks out

Shona Manderson has recently taken part in a BBC Panorama episode titled The Dark Side of Married at First Sight. In it, she spoke about her experiences on MAFS UK in 2023, when she paired with groom Bradley Skelly.

In the episode, Shona alleged her groom Brad ejaculated inside her without her consent, a claim he has denied. In a statement provided to the BBC, he said he understood Shona had consented that night, and categorically denied “any allegation of s*xual misconduct” or that he was controlling. He said the relationship “was based on mutual consent, care and affection.”

The time Shona and Bradley had on MAFS UK was turbulent. It ended in the couple being removed from the show, as their pairing was deemed “unhealthy”. Here’s what happened.

Shona and Bradley looked great at the start of MAFS

via E4

At first, Shona and Bradley looked as though they could have been the MAFS UK love story of their season. Their wedding day was perfect, and they had clear chemistry.

But, it wasn’t long before the cracks began to show. The pair spoke about “love” very early on, and people questioned if Shona was being love-bombed. It wasn’t long before there were allegations of controlling behaviour. Brad told Shona to “shut up” during a dinner party, and branded her emotionally immature.

When things turned toxic, Women’s Aid spoke out about how Shona was being treated

As well as being accused of being “controlling” – a claim Brad has since denied – Brad spoke on the show about “allowing” Shona to feel upset. These comments sparked a response from women’s charity, Women’s Aid.

Teresa Parker, head of media at Women’s Aid, told The Tab: “It is really important that the experts on the show called this out as controlling behaviour and challenged Brad’s view that it was acceptable to say that he had the right to ‘allow’ Shona to be angry.

“TV programmes like these, which are based on the formation of relationships, need to be aware of the dynamics of controlling and coercive behaviour, and always send a clear message that it is wholly unacceptable.”

via E4

Brad and Shona were removed from MAFS UK

Later in the series, the couple were asked to leave following Brad’s behaviour escalating. Brad was removed from the Married at First Sight experiment, meaning Shona had to leave too.

Channel 4 confirmed the news, and said at the time the relationship was “deemed unhealthy”. It was said his behaviour got to the point where bosses of the show decided they had no other option than to remove the couple from the experiment.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: “If any relationships on MAFS UK develop in a way that is deemed unhealthy we take expert advice as to whether the couple should leave the process. This was the case with Brad and Shona. Support is available at all times.”

A further statement from the show added: “It was agreed with experts Paul, Mel and Charlene that the intensive Married at First Sight environment was not working for the couple and was the right time to leave the experiment.”

Shona said most of what happened between herself and Bradley wasn’t shown on MAFS UK

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On Instagram, Shona then posted a number of lengthy statements, reflecting on her time on MAFS with Brad. She said the couple had “many highs” but also claimed “most of Bradley’s inexcusable behaviour happened off camera”.

In one post, she said: “Taking my time to reflect a little more after each episode and I will start one of my last lengthy posts by saying that there were many major highs in our time together which haven’t been shown in the edit but I will also be honest in saying most of Bradley’s inexcusable behaviour happened off camera.

“In moments like these I wasn’t honest about it and tried to see the good. I’m not sharing this to add fuel to the fire but this is my story, parts of it are out there for everyone to see and I want to share what I choose to share on here both sensitively and respectfully.”

She added: “I now feel empowered about that and I can only hope people will learn from watching our time in the experiment unfold.”

via E4

Bradley and Shona were together for six weeks after MAFS, and then ended things

MAFS UK expert Paul C Brunson came under fire following the scandal, when he appeared to encourage the couple to try again, despite Brad’s controlling behaviour. Shona and Brad did give things a go outside the show, but it ended after six weeks.

At the time, Shona explained: “He [Brad] promised ‘I love you, I love you. I love you. I’ll be different on the outside.’ So I gave him the benefit of the doubt.” But she explained they broke up after five to six weeks, when Brad didn’t change his behaviour.

“We stayed together on the outside for, I think, about five to six weeks and the same behaviour continued,” she said. “He was exactly the same person. It was the listing, it was the harsh criticism, it was belittling me, like making me feel so small and questioning myself.”

As the BBC episode has now revealed, it was around this time Shona found out she was pregnant, and had an abortion. She found out she was expecting about a week after leaving the show. “I made the choice to go through with an abortion. It was really hard,” she told the BBC.

Brad apologised for his behaviour

via E4

In a video shared after the show, Brad apologised. He said he wanted to say sorry to “anyone that my actions have offended in any way, shape or form during my time on the experiment of MAFS UK.”

Brad then extended his apology to the viewers and his fellow castmates, and admitted they got to see his “worst sides” during his time on the show.

He also told viewers “you were all judging me based on some very short snippets from hours and hours of filming” that had been “dramatised for the highest form of entertainment.” He explained that he is a very “unhappy person” when he’s put in a period of time where he feels “suffocated.” But admitted this was “no excuse for the way I acted.”

Brad was then confirmed to be in a new relationship, and said he “never loved” Shona.

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