'Married at First Sight' expert hits back at show criticism

Married at First Sight expert Charlene Douglas has hit back over criticism of the show.

Much of the criticism of the popular E4 show has been focussed on the lack of couples who stay together as a number of contestants recently split up, including Johnathan Wileman and Sophie Brown.

Read more: MAFS UK's Thomas says sorry to Sophie as he gets death threats

Speaking to Metro, Douglas has responded to the negative reviews by saying: "For me, success isn't that they're together in a relationship. We know that there are people in relationships and although they have the status of being in a relationship, they are not happy and they are not the best versions of themselves."

She added: "For me, success is also that they've learned a lot about themselves, for example, Whitney has expressed that she's a lot more vulnerable and has found her voice."

Read more: MAFS UK season finale: Matt's surprise exit and April confirms split from George

Douglas also said that relationship experts like her hope to improve the contestants' attitudes in relationships: "Johnathan, bless him, very innocently said things and didn't properly think about it. With feedback, the hope is that he can go away and think about it and be a bit more sensitive in future relationships. Just so he knows what he needs to do."

Married at First Sight first started airing in the UK on Channel 4 in 2015 before moving to E4 in 2021 where it has been a big success.

On 14 March 2021, Owen and Michelle from Series 5 became the first couple to celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary together.

The most recent season of the show featured two same-sex couples – one male and one female – in a first for the series.

Married at First Sight UK airs on E4 in the UK.

Watch below: Married at First Sight star Thomas Hartley apologises to Sophie for row.