They have issued a statement
Channel 4 has rejected calls to remove one of their Married at First Sight participants after accusations of domestic abuse were made against him.
It was revealed yesterday by The Sun that ex-RAF Air Specialist Alexander Henry went Awol to film the show which led to him being sentenced to 34 days in military prison upon his return.
Henry, who was previously based at RAF Spadeadam before he was sacked, is in the ninth series of the show which starts on Monday, but his inclusion has been heavily criticised in the comments on E4’s Instagram promotional reel.
The channel confirmed it would not be cutting the scenes which were filmed several months ago as the ‘DBS check carried out on the contributor was returned clear’.
Married at First Sight is a bold social experiment where single people marry total strangers who they meet for the very first time at the altar.
Mr Henry, who is now working as a personal trainer, is one of the groomsmen on the show.
Channel 4 confirmed it had received ‘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.’
In a statement they said: “The welfare of our contributors is of paramount importance and, as such, we take all allegations of unacceptable behaviour seriously.
“Everyone taking part in MAFS UK undergoes a rigorous vetting process, involving a criminal record check and multiple psychological evaluations, before they can be cleared to take part.
“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.”
The alleged victim sent emails and pictures to Channel 4 alongside her request for Henry to be removed from the show.
According to the BBC, Henry attempted to contact his former partner ahead of filming the show.
In one message he said: “I get flashbacks about what happened between us, the good… but mostly the bad, and it makes me feel sick.”
Last year he participated in another Channel 4 dating show, Let’s Make a Love Scene, but the episode he appeared in was never aired after his former partner reported him.
Channel 4 told the alleged victim that Married at First Sight is produced by a different production company and therefore were unaware of the allegations made against Henry previously.
Charity Women’s Aid said it was ‘incredibly disappointed and concerned to hear that the producers have taken the decision not to remove an alleged abuser’.
They said: “Having seen the direct impact of abusive behaviours displayed on the show in previous years on survivors, we would have hoped that protection and tolerance levels for abuse would leave no room for perpetrators to be given a platform again, with their actions being televised as ‘entertainment’.”
