MAFS in chaos as Nathanial brands show a ‘complete sham’ and lifts lid on what really happens when cameras are off
MARRIED At First Sight has been branded a ‘complete sham’ by one of this series’ furious grooms.
Nathanial Valentino was seen marrying transgender bride Ella Morgan on the E4 hit this week.
But he has now lifted the lid on what goes on when the cameras are off, claiming the couples are fed storylines by the producers.
He also added that he did not ask to be paired with someone who was transgender, but alleged he was talked into the marriage to Ella by show bosses.
Nathanial told The Sunday Mirror that brides and grooms were given plot points to follow by a team of producers known as The Story.
He claimed: “The Story were like goblins whispering in people’s ears. I’d be having a great conversation with Ella, she would be pulled away and, five minutes later, we’d have an argument about the exact same thing.”
Nathanial added that the producers caused one couple to have a meltdown after all their interfering.
“One couple were really broken down by their manipulations. I watched a person have a full-on panic attack in my apartment,” Nathanial alleged.
He continued: “It was the most horrible thing. At the time we were all locked down in Wembley as there had been allegations three contributors had taken drugs. It was incredibly claustrophobic and people did struggle.”
As well as not asking for someone who has trans, Nathanial – who identifies as pansexual – claims he also said he didn’t want to date someone who smoked or had worked in the sex industry.
Ella is a smoker and has previously worked as a stripper, something which caused a row between the pair on Wednesday night’s honeymoon episode.
Nathanial also revealed how he quit the show early and did not stay in the experiment until the end.
It turns out he formed a connection with one of the other brides on the show, but he claims producers would not allow him to explore the relationship as they didn’t think viewers would believe it.
He explained: “Myself and another girl grew close and we sneaked on to a balcony to confide our feelings. But she told me that when she spoke to producers about it, the response was: ‘That won’t be believable. Nathanial is gay.’
“At that point I knew I had to get out. I felt I was being strangled and it brought out an ugly side of me. I knew I was going to tear the place down, so I quit.”
It comes after reports that Ella ‘cheats’ on Nathanial later in the series by hooking up with another groom behind his back.
The groom in question is one of the intruder grooms who has not yet been seen on screen but will join the show later in the series.
A Channel 4 spokesperson said of Nathanial’s claims: “Nathanial entered this with full and informed consent and was provided with more information than we would ordinarily share, to make him aware that his bride was trans.
“The matching process entails a detailed interrogation of participant’s preferences and none of these would be overlooked when deciding who to pair them with.
The rep continued: “The welfare of all contributors is our top priority and we ensure support is available before, during and after filming – including 24/7 access to welfare or psych support.
“The show is an unscripted reality series which follows real events as they naturally unfold and is in no way scripted.”