Married At First Sight UK star Thomas Hartley has bravely spoken about the physical and sexual abuse he suffered when he was a teenager.
Before Wednesday’s episode aired, Thomas, who is wed to Adrian Anderson in the social experiment programme, explained to his Instagram followers that he wouldn’t tune in after fans saw him at ‘breaking point.’
Matchmaking expert Paul Brunson picked up on something Thomas said about having ‘been through so much’ during the programme, and asked the mental health care assistant to elaborate further.
Thomas said: ‘I’ve been verbally abused, physically abused, homophobia, all that bulls**t that every gay person has probably been through at some point or another, and I’m not having anyone throw my name and lie about me, because one thing I’m f**king not is a liar.’
Addressing the emotional moment online, Thomas explained that he ‘deleted Instagram’ because he couldn’t face the ‘substance of the show.’
‘Abuse has been consistent in my life from when I was a teenager,’ he penned.
‘It started with physical abuse from other kids because I was gay and feminine. Unfortunately when I was 16 I faced sexual abuse and then again in my early 20’s.
‘I didn’t speak about this until I was 28 and had sought expert help from doctors who referred me for therapy.’
Praising the series and Channel 4, he continued: ‘The show and channel have been incredibly supportive, kind and sensitive with this information.
‘I hope to talk about this in future so that people don’t feel shame.
‘I’m living in my truth and my one thing I pride myself on is honesty, even if it stings.‘Thank you for your love and overwhelming kindness. Be kind to yourself too, hiding pain hurts more. Thank you to @jennarobo and @thelaraeyre for your love on the show when this was revealed. I really appreciate you both.’
After Thomas broke down in tears, MAFS UK expert Mel Schilling stressed that there was ‘so much support for you in this room’, as she went over to comfort him with a tissue.
Adrian later revealed he had chosen to stay on the programme, while Thomas ripped up his piece of paper, having initially written that he wanted to leave.
Married At First Sight UK continues tonight at 9pm on E4.
