Shona calls out MAFS UK in new statement after assault investigation and demands ‘change’

Shona Manderson has spoken out on Instagram after the MAFS UK BBC Panorama investigation, where she outlined allegations of sexual assault she experienced during the experience, and called out the reality TV show’s production company CPL.

The 33-year-old is one of three women who have come forward and claimed they experienced sexual assault while on the reality TV show. She claims that her husband Bradley Skelly ejaculated inside her without her consent while they were having sex. In a statement to the BBC, he said he thought Shona consented to ejaculating inside her and categorically denies “any allegations of sexual misconduct” or that he was “controlling”.

Lawyers for CPL told the BBC the production company spoke to the couple a few days after the incident. They said Shona told them what had happened and that Bradley didn’t ask for permission to ejaculate inside of her. The lawyers said Shona later told CPL that she “did not have an issue with it”. Channel 4 told the BBC that at the time, Shona said all sexual contact was consensual.

Following the BBC Panorama investigation, Shona has slammed MAFS UK once again for allegedly not doing enough to protect her during her time in the experiment in an Instagram statement. She said there is room for “accountability” and demanded “change”.

She firstly accused the show of telling her and Bradley to “go and be together on the outside” and recalls being asked if they wanted a hotel that night by production. “Looking back, I felt confused by some of the messaging around the situation at times I felt there was suggestion that the environment itself may have been contributing to the difficulties we were experiencing and it left me feeling that perhaps things would be different outside the experiment.”

Shona said she left the experiment carrying a lot of “self-blame” after conversations on the show about Bradley having “demons” and her having “low self-esteem”. She also called out the production company for allegedly only giving her two weeks of pay, and said she doesn’t feel like her financial welfare was considered.

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A post shared by Shona Manderson 🪐✨🌸 (@shoniemandy)

“Initially, I was only given two weeks pay, which added significant stress and already difficult period. I believe this is something that should be reviewed for future participants, particularly as many people may not have work to immediately return to outside the experiment.” Shona claims she was later offered further financial support after informing production that she was pregnant.

As well as stronger financial support and safeguarding when contestants exit the experiment, Shona urged the show to consider “stronger processes, more in-person casting, deeper checks, clearer support and stronger interventions around concerning behaviour”. She also said they should use deeper processes when matching people, considering things like “values, non-negotiables, intentions for being there, relationship expectations and compatibility around intimacy”.

However, she does appreciate that this is a “very difficult environment to fully safeguard”. In another video shared on Instagram, Shona claimed she asked production for a meeting about her welfare but this “wasn’t honoured,” so she did it with the BBC instead.

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She also made clear that there were parts of her welfare while on the show that were “really strong” and “certain individuals that were amazing,” but said this is a “wider issue”. “At the end of the day, I shouldn’t have been in the position that I was in. For me, post-experiment, I put a lot of blame on myself, and there was a lot of stress with me leaving.”

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A post shared by Shona Manderson 🪐✨🌸 (@shoniemandy)

Shona recalled an alleged moment where she claims she was “emotionally distressed” during filming because of the way her partner had spoken to her and “was asked to calm down and return to filming by production”. Shona alleged: “During my time in the experiment, production gave my partner serious warnings for ‘breaking the rules’ but from my knowledge, there were never any serious interventions around his behaviour towards me from production.”

In a press release, Channel 4 insisted that MAFS UK is “produced under some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry” including “the most thorough background checks available, a Code of Conduct which clearly sets out behavioural standards, daily contributor check-ins with a specialist welfare team and access to additional support before, during and after filming”.

“The physical and psychological wellbeing of all contributors is of paramount importance throughout the process. All duty of care processes are regularly reviewed and, where appropriate, strengthened,” they continued. “Channel 4 believes that when concerns related to contributor welfare were raised through existing welfare and production protocols, prompt and appropriate action was taken, based on the information available at the time. Channel 4 strongly refutes any claim to the contrary.”

CPL’s lawyers told the BBC that the company’s welfare system was “gold standard” and industry-leading. They said CPL acted appropriately in all three cases and took appropriate measures to safeguard Shona’s well-being. Channel 4 said Shona told them all sexual contact was consensual at the time.

The Tab has reached out to Channel 4 and the production company CPL following Shona Manderson’s claims.

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Featured image credit: BBC and Shona Manderson/Instagram