Channel 4 will not drop alleged abuser Alex Henry from Married at First Sight

The reality show Married at First Sight on Channel 4 has chosen not to disqualify one of its cast members, despite allegations of domestic violence against him.

Alexander Henry, set to appear in the upcoming ninth series starting this Monday, has faced criticism in the comments on E4's promotional video on Instagram.

Channel 4 has stated that it will not be removing Mr. Henry's scenes, as the criminal record check conducted on the individual mentioned in the allegation came back without any issues.

According to a report from The Sun, Mr. Henry received a 34-day sentence in a military facility for going on unauthorized leave.

The article mentions that Mr. Henry was taken into custody by military police for neglecting his duties in the RAF to take part in the show, even though his request for leave had been rejected by his commanding officer.

A representative for Mr. Henry informed The Sun: "He came back on his own accord after finishing his filming and reported to the military officials. He received a 34-day sentence in military custody and spent 24 days there as an exemplary prisoner."

The BBC has reached out to the RAF and Mr. Henry for their responses.

Married at First Sight is a daring social experiment where singles tie the knot with complete strangers, meeting for the first time as they walk down the aisle.

Mr. Henry, a fitness coach hailing from Birmingham, serves as one of the groomsmen featured on the show.

Channel 4 has announced that it has received "one allegation involving a participant from Married at First Sight UK 2024 and we have addressed this matter directly with those who brought the allegation to our attention."

In a statement, it stated that the well-being of our contributors is extremely important to us, and therefore, we treat all claims of inappropriate conduct with the utmost seriousness.

It further explained that "All participants in MAFS UK go through an extensive screening procedure, which includes a background check for criminal records and several psychological assessments, before they are approved to join the show."

"We select contributors based on the information we can legally obtain, and we continually evaluate our process to make sure our checks are as comprehensive as the law allows."

The BBC has obtained proof of the emails and images that the purported victim sent to Channel 4 along with her appeal for his removal from the program.

In reply to the email, Channel 4 stated that the program was recorded several months prior and is not a live show. Therefore, Alexander will appear in the pre-edited episodes that are scheduled to air.

It mentioned that "there will be promotional efforts on the channel's social media platforms, featuring Alexander."

The BBC reports that Mr. Henry tried to reach out to his ex-partner before the show was filmed. In one message, he expressed, "I often have memories of our time together—some good moments, but mostly painful ones—and it really makes me feel uneasy."

Last year, he took part in another dating reality series on Channel 4 called Let's Make a Love Scene. However, the episode featuring him was never broadcast because his ex-partner complained about his conduct to the show's producers.

Channel 4 informed the supposed victim that MAFS UK is created by a different production team than the one behind the earlier show, meaning they likely didn't know about Alexander being part of a series that was never aired.

Following Channel 4's choice to retain Mr. Henry on the program, the charity Women's Aid expressed its profound disappointment and concern in a statement, noting that it was troubling to learn that the producers opted not to exclude someone accused of abuse.

The statement continued: "After witnessing how much harm the abusive actions shown on the program in past years have caused to survivors, we expected that there would be stronger measures in place to prevent abusers from having any platform. It’s disappointing that their behavior is still being broadcast as 'entertainment'."