Married at First Sight contestant jailed after abandoning RAF for dating show
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Alex Henry, a star from *Married at First Sight*, spent 24 days in jail after abandoning his duties with the RAF in order to take part in the Channel 4 dating program.
Inspired by the Danish show of the same title, this series revolves around a group of individuals who consent to enter into marriage without ever seeing their partner beforehand. A team of specialists from fields such as psychology, psychotherapy, anthropology, and theology selects a match for each participant.
Henry left his position at an electronic warfare facility to participate in a Channel 4 series and was later imprisoned by a military tribunal. He was detained by military authorities when he returned and completed 24 days of a 34-day sentence before being dismissed from his job.
The 28-year-old is said to have requested additional leave last winter to participate in Married at First Sight, but his commanding officer at RAF Spadeadam in Cumbria refused his request.
Henry disregarded the order and went ahead with filming the series regardless. A spokesperson for the reality star informed The Sun: "He came back on his own after filming and reported to the military officials."
He received a 34-day sentence in a military prison, where he demonstrated good behavior and completed 24 days of his term.
In a social media update following the completion of the series, Henry expressed to his followers: “Anything valuable in life involves some level of risk.”
The Independent has reached out to the RAF and Channel 4 for their feedback.
This follows closely after the charity Women’s Aid voiced their disappointment over Henry's participation in the show, especially considering the concerns raised about his past relationships.
Last year, he took part in another dating reality series on Channel 4 called Let’s Make a Love Scene, but his episode didn’t end up being broadcast.
Channel 4 informed the BBC that it will not remove Mr. Henry's scenes from MAFS, as the criminal background check conducted on the individual mentioned in the allegation came back with no issues.
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A representative from the broadcaster stated, "Participants in MAFS UK undergo thorough background checks, which include several independent psychological assessments and a criminal background verification before they are approved to join the show."
"We select contributors based on the information that we are allowed to access by law, and we continually assess this process to make sure that our checks are as comprehensive as legally permitted."
Following the criticism regarding Henry’s casting, a spokesperson from Channel 4 clarified: “MAFS UK was recorded a few months back and is not being aired live, so Alexander will appear in the edited episodes that are set to be shown later this month.”
The channel's social media will be actively promoting during this period, and Alexander might make an appearance.
Married at First Sight is set to make its comeback on Channel 4 on Monday, September 16.
