MAFS UK stars only have ‘one day off’ a week but they have no say on when it is
A former Married at First Sight UK star has spilled the gossip on how often contestants film, being escorted to gym, and only using a burner phone during the six days of filming per week. Shona Manderson, who starred on Married at First Sight UK last season, met the love of her life on the […]
A former Married at First Sight UK star has spilled the gossip on how often contestants film, being escorted to gym, and only using a burner phone during the six days of filming per week.
Shona Manderson, who starred on Married at First Sight UK last season, met the love of her life on the E4 show. She found it in co-star Matt after a turbulent marriage breakdown with ex-hubby Brad.
MAFS UK stars get one day off a week
MAFS UK stars only get one day off a week fully away from filming, Shona Manderson claims in a Platinum Spas interview. And those dinner parties? They take hours to film, and can start in the morning.
She added: “In my personal journey on MAFS I was only there for three weeks. I had quite a lot of downtime because of the situation that I was in,” saying they decided not to film a lot of the time.
They are needed to film for long hours every day, and have to move in with their partners in apartments set up by the show. Overall, it takes two months to film the weddings, honeymoons and living scenes.
MAFS UK cast members are banned from using their usual mobile phones, but can contact their co-stars using burner phones. Ella and JJ, from the previous season, were texting via old Nokia mobiles.
Shona said, “When you’re on MAFS, you’re only allowed a burner phone, so I was texting Laura’s phone – ‘Who are the new people?’ ‘What’s going on?’ ‘Has anyone else been sent home?’”
Jess Potter, who starred on the 2022 series, told The Sun she used a burner phone to meet her now-fiance, TJ.
She said, “When I signed up to MAFS, the producers gave me a burner phone. When I was in a taxi on my way home after quitting, I downloaded Tinder and used the number associated with my burner phone.”
Freedom – but not whenever you want
The Channel 4 welfare team has been praised for their support to cast members, with former star, Mark Kiley, telling Daily Star, “The amount of support you get before, during and after the show is so good.”
Welfare escorts take stars to the gym or other places while starring on the series. Shona said, “There was a lot of time we had to wait for a welfare person to be able to come to the gym with you.”
She added, “I had time to go to the gym. So you had your freedom, but it was never on your own schedule.”
On the recent season, Adam and Alex also had filming gaps, as they went to the gym together.
WATCH MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT UK ON E4 MONDAY TO THURSDAY AT 9 PM