Married at First Sight UK cast member arrested on suspicion of rape | UK news

An actor from Married at First Sight UK has been arrested on suspicion of rape following allegations of sexual harassment on the reality TV show.

The name of the person and the alleged victim is not disclosed. Alleged rape victims have the legal protection of anonymity.

In May, the Metropolitan police issued an appeal for anyone who believes they may have been a victim of sexual assault during their time on the program to come forward.

Senior officials made the call after the BBC Panorama investigation aired allegations by two women that they had been raped by their on-screen husbands on the programme. A third woman accused her on-screen husband of subjecting her to sexual intercourse without her consent. All of the men deny the allegations.

Since the show aired, the BBC said former Married at First Sight UK participants have contacted it to express their concerns.

The Met made a new statement to BBC News: “This [arrest] It relates to an ongoing investigation by the Met police. “He has since been released on bail while investigations continue.”

The team are already in contact with Channel 4, which broadcasts the hit programme, and independent production company CPL, which produces the program for the broadcaster.

Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra stood by the broadcaster’s handling of concerns raised by contestants but also said she was “deeply saddened” by the distress of female participants who made allegations of rape and sexual harassment.

Channel 4 ordered two investigations. One of these looks at how it handles complaints made by contestants. Second, it will look at whether protection protocols need to change in the future.

In Married at First Sight, also known as MAFS, strangers are matched by experts and meet for the first time in a mock wedding ceremony. They are housed together throughout the program and decide if they want to stay together.

CPL’s lawyers have previously said the show’s outreach system is the “gold standard” and industry-leading.

It was also noted that criticism from former crew members “does not reflect the vast majority of positive experiences of the more than 1,200 production team members who have worked on all series.”

“Contributors are not pressured in any way or expected to be sincere,” he added.