Insta posts and new relationships: All that’s happened with Brad and Shona since MAFS axe

This week, everyone has been talking about MAFS UK couple Brad and Shona. As an audience we watched his controlling behaviour on the show, and then over the weekend it was announced he had been axed from the experiment.

A lot has happened since all that, with formal statements being posted by Channel 4, as well as Brad and Shona themselves having their say on what went down during their Married at First Sight journey.

So, taking it back to the beginning of the saga, here’s a full rundown of everything that has happened between MAFS UK couple Brad and Shona. It’s been a lot!

via E4

Shona spoke out about Brad’s behaviour towards her on the show

Everything started when cracks began to show in Brad and Shona’s relationship. He was seen telling her to “shut up” during a dinner party, and he constantly questioned her emotional maturity, saying she was at a different stage in life to him because she hadn’t had a child.

Then, during the commitment ceremony, Brad spoke of wanting to “allow” Shona to feel things, and how he wanted to “let” her be upset in situations. The experts called him out, and said this sort of language is controlling, given Shona is his equal.

Following these episodes airing, Shona wrote in an Instagram post: “In this moment I’m trying to be so positive and give it all I’ve got because I’m really trying to believe in us and what I was feeling was so intense and heightened. The last two nights have been hard to watch and I know tonight will be even trickier. I’m aware of the insecurities I have, this experiment really brought them to the surface.”

She added: “I was completely infatuated in that relationship, I got lost and in trying to defend us as a couple I was silenced. I don’t even remember that happening. It’s difficult to see what everyone else could see and what you are watching play out now. It’s uncomfortable to see this from the outside perspective and feeling what arises for me in witnessing what everyone else could see and now you’re watching it play out just as we watch it for the first time.”

via E4

Women’s Aid issued a statement to MAFS about Shona and Brad

Women’s charity Women’s Aid then issued a statement about Brad’s behaviour towards Shona. Teresa Parker, head of media at Women’s Aid, said: “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.”

It was announced Brad had been axed from MAFS UK 2023, and Shona would therefore have to leave too

via E4

Over the weekend it was confirmed, following his behaviour, Brad was to be removed from the Married at First Sight experiment. It was said bosses of the show decided they had no other option than to remove Brad, and therefore Shona too, from the experiment.

Channel 4 then released a full statement about the decision, saying the relationship was “deemed unhealthy”. The channel said it was agreed with experts Paul, Mel and Charlene that the intensive Married at First Sight environment was not working for the couple and it was the right time to leave the experiment.

“The relationships on Married at First Sight UK are closely monitored off-screen, by production and an independent psychologist,” the statement read.

“If any of the relationships develop in a way that is deemed to be potentially unhealthy for either party, we would take expert psychological advice as to whether it was time for them to leave the process. The welfare of all contributors on Married at First Sight UK is our top priority and we ensure that appropriate support is available to contributors at all times during filming, including 24/7 access to a member of the welfare team or psych support.”

Channel 4 confirmed the episode in which the couple leaves will air this week

In a statement provided to The Tab, Channel 4 confirmed Brad and Shona exiting MAFS would be aired this week. They leave during Thursday night’s episode, and the dramatic exit will take place in a scene with Mel and Paul, who will sit them down and talk to them about what is going to happen.

It was revealed Brad is already in a new relationship

Ok so Brad and Shona have clearly split up since MAFS was filmed, because now Brad is in a relationship with a model?! Brad has been seen with his new girlfriend Hollie Baldwin, who is a fitness trainer and model.

She’s posted loads of pictures of them together on her Instagram story, and the couple were seen “kissing passionately” at the VIP Scarefest launch at Alton Towers on Friday night. Glamour!

A source told The Daily Mail: “It wasn’t long after Brad was axed from Married At First Sight UK that he and Shona went their separate ways, it was clear from the process that their relationship was never going to work. Brad and Hollie know each other from their hometown and connected instantly, they were kissing in front of the other MAFS UK cast on Friday night, they weren’t holding anything back.

“Hollie didn’t pose for any of the official photographs at the launch event as Brad was keen not to give away that his marriage with Shona is over. But they are an item and looked really loved up.”

In an interview, Brad said he never even loved Shona

Following his axe, Brad did an interview with The Mirror and said he was never even in love with Shona, and said it was the situation that made him think he was. He said the “highly emotional environment” with “no external influences and guidance” made him confuse lust with love.

He said: “I most definitely can confirm that I wasn’t in love, but at that time, it was a strong feeling of lust that I got confused with. Yeah, because you haven’t got a lot of external influences or guidance like you have on the outside world like on the outside world you have a lot of freedom and flexibility to actually find out if that’s the case.

“You know, when in there I was really trying to make it work. So I think a lot of the time with me saying these things I was trying my hardest, you know, to really make things work but I was really trying to navigate myself to be fair.”

via E4

Shona then said most of Brad’s behaviour wasn’t shown on MAFS

Shona took a chance to have her say too, and in a string of Instagram posts has been sharing more about her journey. Unlike Brad, she chose not to take a direct swipe at her ex, instead actively asking her followers to not comment their thoughts on him, and said she was trying to turn the ordeal into a positive life lesson.

She did say however, that “most of Brad’s inexcusable behaviour was off camera” but they did have “many highs” together as a couple.

She added: “In these sort of conversations which we had where I felt I was being completely patronised and belittled I have learnt and I am always still learning that I am beautiful the way I am, I don’t need to change for anyone and I’ll never let somebody make me feel inadequate to them if it’s intentional or not.”

For all the latest MAFS news, scandals, gossip and updates – like The Holy Church of MAFS on Facebook. 

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