23 September 2023 , 18:32
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Telly bridegroom Nathanial Valentino has branded Married At First Sight a “complete sham” and claims couples are manipulated by “goblins” who provoke conflict.
Nathanial, 36, claims the show has no interest in couples finding true love. He was seen by E4 viewers last week marrying 29-year-old transgender nurse Ella Morgan. Ella is a former stripper and a smoker. But when bosses asked him to profile his ideal partner, Nathanial did NOT ask to be with someone transgender, did NOT want to be with a smoker and did NOT want anyone who had worked in the sex industry.
He says he was talked into the romance by show staff. He also claims…
- Participants were fed scripted lines by a team known as The Story – nicknamed “the little b***hes and witches”.
- Ella was turned into “a monster” by an interfering production team.
- Couples were confined to their rooms for 22 hours a day after reports one person had taken drugs.
- One participant suffered a “full-on panic attack” as the pressure built.
Events manager Nathanial, from Manchester, quit the series early. He identifies as being pansexual – attraction towards another person, regardless of their gender identity. Nathanial says: “The way some were treated on the show became very dark. Pretty much from the start it was a complete sham.
Nathanial after quitting show (Reach Commissioned/Steve Bainbridge)"I told producers that I wanted to marry a man, or a woman with a very masculine energy, because that’s normally who I go for. Then I was told they matched me with a lovely girl who was transgender. My first reaction was ‘no’ because I felt that just wasn’t me, and I told them so.
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“But they encouraged me to think about it, saying if I didn’t take part it would ruin this girl’s story. And by that point I had also turned down a work contract because I thought I’d be going on the show. So I agreed. My only deal-breakers were that she didn’t smoke and didn’t work in the sex industry.
‘That’s why I was angry when I learned, before we went on honeymoon, Ella worked as a stripper. But when I asked to speak to my welfare person, I was told it wasn’t a good time. Another occasion, a producer told me I wouldn’t be asked about my family. Not long after, Ella asked me why she was being encouraged to ask me about my family.
"That was the kind of manipulation that went on. 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. One couple were really broken down by their manipulations. I watched a person have a full-on panic attack in my apartment.
“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.” It was reported last week that Ella, from Somerset, had cheated on Nathanial with another man on the show.
Nathanial claims the show chiefs fuelled the flames of that affair while stopping another woman getting close to him. He went on: “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.’
Ella’s past caused a clash (Channel 4)“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. Since I left I’ve texted Ella saying: ‘You’ve broken my trust and loyalty and you never said sorry.’ She didn’t reply. I’ve asked for an apology from C4, which they have never given me.
“That’s why I am speaking out. I don’t want to upset the good, kind people who work on the show, but what happened to me can’t happen to another person. This show needs to have a ‘For Entertainment Purposes’ all over it. If you go on, you will have a devil whispering in your ear the entire time.
"There are couples with a beautiful connection. But with Ella, the show created a monster. I didn’t know who I was marrying. Some of the welfare just wasn’t there.” A second participant yesterday spoke of “huge sadness” about the way she had come over on TV. Rozz Darlington, 28, said on Instagram : “I pride myself in being friendly, kind, caring, positive, bubbly and understanding.
“Please be kind and wait to watch my journey.”
A source close to the show last night insisted Nathanial was not pressured into taking part.
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They claimed they have no record of Nathanial’s deal-breakers regarding his bride.
And they added that show staff were “not aware” of a romantic connection between Nathanial and the second female contributor.
C4 said: “Nathanial entered this process voluntarily 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 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.”
* MAFS UK is on C4 at 9pm on Monday.