MAFS UK: Brad And Shona Separately Speak Out On Leaving Experiment
13 October 2023, 12:17
Shona Manderson and Brad Skelly have opened up on their exit from Married at First Sight UK. Read what they said here.
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Paul Carrick Brunson and Mel Schilling intervened in Shona Manderson and Brad Skelly’s MAFS UK journey in Thursday night’s episode, telling the newlyweds – who said 'I do' having never met – their relationship simply wasn’t working.
“We can see that you’ve developed strong feelings for each other,” Paul told them. “But right now this is not an environment in which your relationship can flourish, which is why we believe it’s in your best interests to exit the process now.”
They advised the couple to leave the show, with a tearful Shona admitting she was torn with her feelings as their highs were ‘high’ but the lows were ‘really low’.
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Shona and Brad left the experiment and split up soon after, with Shona recalling the moment she ‘woke the hell up’ when Brad told her he never had an emotional attachment to her.
After their final episode aired, each of them took to their respective social media platforms to address their exit.
In an Instagram post, Shona said she was ‘blindsided’ when Brad told her, ‘I love you’ after ‘all his s****y behaviour’. She recalled how he told her his feelings for her were ‘lust’ instead of ‘love’ – the moment she said she ‘woke the hell up’.
Couple get emotional in MAFS UK admissions
Shona explained she feels she’s now got her ‘happy ending’ and has even met someone new. She added: “I did just that, I filled myself up with self love and when I was ready fate kicked in and I met the kindest soul who loves me just the way I am and it’s what I deserve.”
Read Shona’s statement in full here:
So that’s my journey over and this is my last lengthy MAFS post. The woman who walked into that hen do is back but stronger than before. I applied for MAFS for love but unfortunately the person I was matched with was there to promote himself as a meditation guide, he love bombed me and ultimately I was sent home for his horrible behaviour.
In the experiment I was completely blind sided by 'I love you'. All his s****t behaviour but followed by 'but I love you'. Even going as far as lying to people when we were sent home saying we chose to leave the experiment because we found ‘love’ in each other.
The experiment wasn’t to blame he was the same person on the outside and when we finally went our separate ways he told me he never loved me, it was just a TV show, it was lust and he never had any emotional attachment to me whatsoever. That’s when I finally woke the hell up. It made me look within and question why I put up with this behaviour, why being loved was so important to me and finally why did I lose myself so much in that relationship. I realised deep down I needed to love myself more. I did just that, I filled myself up with self love and when I was ready fate kicked in and I met the kindest soul who loves me just the way I am and it’s what I deserve.
I’m so happy writing this and sharing my happy ending with you. To all the special people who reached out to me with love thank you from the bottom of my heart. & to those who resonated watching our story unfold I really hope you realise you deserve so, so much more.
Ultimately I thank you Bradley for sending me on the biggest self love journey because look at me now. Enjoy f*****g the Universe babes.
Meanwhile, Brad shared his experience in a TikTok video, addressing the reports he was kicked off the experiment over his ‘controlling’ and ‘coercive’ behaviour.
He said viewers were making ‘judgements’ based on ‘snippets’ taken from hours of filming.
“I want to apologise that my actions have offended in any way, shape or form. I’m sorry that you all, including people I was on the show with, got to see the worst side of me during the experiment," he began.
"As you can see on the show I am extremely low and flat. That resulted in a very unhappy person within a very suffocating and testing period, and this is no excuse for the way I acted, but this definitely has an effect on frustrations being amplified."
He added: "You are all watching a television programme. Everything I'm projecting is from a position of trying to help, rather than trying to control and dictate. I've never had the need or desire to control anybody in my entire life and I've never told anybody they're not allowed to do anything.
"Anybody that knows me personally knows that they’ve always been open to do as they please."
Brad acknowledged his language used toward Shona wasn't acceptable after Mel called him out at one of the commitment ceremonies for saying he wouldn't 'allow' her to get upset.
The dad-of-one went on: "I do understand the way I articulate my terminology can come across in a way it isn't intended to and I am really working on that."
You can watch Brad’s video in full here:
After they left the experiment, Brad and Shona went their separate ways and the other couples resumed their time on the show.
Four new ‘intruder’ couples were also introduced, including Erica and Jordan and Bianca and JJ.
Married at First Sight UK continues Monday to Thursday at 9pm on E4.
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