Alex needs to be removed from MAFS UK 2024 for Holly’s sake, as well as all of ours

We might only be a week in, but already enough is enough. Alex Henry needs to be removed from MAFS UK 2024 immediately. I’m done watching his awful behaviour, and no Channel 4 it’s not “entertainment” – it’s painful to watch.

From the first moment Alex was introduced as part of the cast it’s been clouded with controversy. There have been domestic abuse allegations made against him, which Channel 4 has said were looked into and his pre-show checks came back clear, but that still hasn’t stopped people talking about it.

What’s more, Alex was literally arrested for being on MAFS. Prior to the show he was part of the RAF and, long story short, didn’t get the right permissions to take time off for filming, and ended up getting arrested by military police. The groom’s spokesman said: “He returned after filming of his own volition and handed himself into the military authorities. He was sentenced to 34 days in a military prison and served 24 as a model inmate.”

via Channel 4

I don’t care if none of the allegations have been proven, or if MAFS producers are happy they have been dealt with correctly. I have a bright idea: Cast! Someone! Else! There must have been hundreds of thousands of applicants for the show this year, so why not have someone who has no allegations against them? Just a really *crazy* idea from me.

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Even if you put all of his scandals aside, the way Alex has behaved on the show is proof enough that he’s a wrong’un. In the first episode he was talking about wife swapping, and during the first commitment ceremony he told new wife Holly that if this had been the outside world, he would have ghosted her. Lovely! Clearly someone ready for the experiment.

Following this dumpster fire of a couple of episodes for him, Alex released a statement on Instagram. He probably thought he was really onto something with his words here, when in reality it was a misogynistic pile of crap, that just made him sound like a very angry man.

via Instagram

He wrote: “I think it’s important to be a strong man when you are with a woman who has a strong personality otherwise she will just walk all over you. MEN need to be MEN and it’s important that you stand your ground and you are heard in your relationship.

“If you allow her to dominate you, over time she might actually become unattracted to you because she will naturally start to take on roles that the man should be fulfilling. She may view you as weak and someone who doesn’t challenge her. Maybe that’s why they paired us together, because I’m not somebody that’s intimidated and will work through the rough edges with her.”

MEN need to be MEN? Sorry but why is this statement so petrifying? Holly has made it clear many times that she’s had her heart broken in the past, has trust and self-esteem issues from previous relationships, and wants someone who will accept her and her children.

Channel 4’s response? Pair her with a man who thinks women can’t be “allowed to dominate” and has abuse allegations over his head. I’ve loved MAFS for years, but this was a bad call. A dangerous call.

How many more times are we going to watch Holly cry? How many more times is Alex going to say or do something terrible, for the experts to point out “patterns” in his behaviour and then simply ask he and Holly go back and “work on things”?

Alex actually got a round of applause from the room for saying he’d “give it a go” with Holly after the first commitment ceremony, like she was the problem and he was being a really brave boy for putting up with her. It’s laughable, actually. Holly has been set up to have her heartbroken all over again, and it’s going to be painful for us all to watch.

via Channel 4

Women’s Aid has already issued a statement about Alex’s involvement in the series, and said it is “incredibly disappointed and concerned to hear that producers of Married at First Sight have taken the decision not to remove an alleged abuser from the latest series.”

In response a spokesperson for Channel 4 said: “The welfare of our contributors is of paramount importance and, as such, we take all allegations of unacceptable behaviour seriously. We are aware of a single allegation against a Married at First Sight UK 2024 contributor and we have responded directly to those who came to us with that allegation.

“As part of our responsibility to safeguard our contributors, everyone taking part in MAFSUK undergoes a rigorous vetting process, involving a criminal record check and multiple psychological evaluations, before they can be cleared to take part.

“The DBS (criminal record) check carried out on the contributor raised in the allegation was returned clean. We cast contributors based on the information we are legally able to access and we continue to review this process to ensure checks are as thorough as legally possible.”

But, no matter what in all this, it’s uncomfortable viewing. I just hope Channel 4 hasn’t made a more solid move yet because it knows the show has already been filmed and Alex leaves quite early on. I hope and pray for that for Holly, but for us watching at home, too.

For all the latest MAFS UK 2024 cast member news, scandals, gossip and updates – like The Holy Church of MAFS on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• MAFS UK’s Alex has commented amid the abuse allegations and his post-show arrest

• Inside the life of controversial groom Alex Henry, who was jailed for appearing on MAFS UK

• MAFS UK 2024 editing error proves part of the first dinner party was changed