A former Married at First Sight bride has hit out at the “unbelievably cruel” treatment of one of this year’s cast members.
Hannah Norburn, who was a contestant during the 2024 season of the dating show, has taken to her Instagram to give her opinion on last night’s show – and she’s far from impressed with the producers.
During her time on the show, the former TV bride said she “felt like she got bullied” by the other female cast members. When Hannah’s series 9 ended, two reunion episodes aired which sparked more than 500 Ofcom complaints. According to the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom received hundreds of complaints related to “alleged bullying behaviour during the programme”. The behaviour was from bride’s Polly Sellman and Holly Ditchfield towards Hannah.
At the time the episodes aired, Hannah said: “It was four hours of absolute hell on earth for me and I was being screamed at . . . It was over and over and I cried and it was horrible.”
Now, Hannah fears a contestant in this year’s series is on the receiving end of horrid treatment from her co-stars. Scenes aired in last night’s dinner party episode which showed new couples Leisha and Reiss, April and Leo and Abigail and John introduced to the group.
Earlier in the episode, Leisha and Reiss had been seen in their apartment discussing an incident which had taken place on the way home from their Thailand honeymoon in which Leisha had drank too much, been sick and then spent an hour talking to a male passenger.
Married at First Sight UK series 10 brides Leah, Leigh, Nelly and Leisha during a dinner party. Photo by Channel 4. | Channel 4
Leisha had apologised to Reiss, but when the honesty box came out at the dinner party the rest of the group were asked if they were ‘team Reiss or team Leisha’ based on what had happened. Most of the other brides and grooms said they were ‘team Reiss’ and scalded Leisha for her behaviour.
Hannah took to Instagram after the scenes aired to issue a statement: “Did MAFS learn absolutely nothing from my series?!!!! That was unbelievably cruel and actually horrible to watch. I’m so disappointed in E4 for that!!”, she wrote.
Addressing Leisha directly, and tagging her, she went on: “I’m sorry this happened to you and there’s no way I would have sat there and happily let the whole room judge you.”
Married at First Sight UK bride Hannah Norburn, who has said she was ‘screamed at’ by the other brides during her time on the show. Photo by Channel 4. | Channel 4
Continuing with her opinion, she said: “Leisha’s brand new to this group. She will already be so nervous and feel like an outsider. Then the producers have actively encouraged an entire room full of people who she has just met to judge a story she’s already apologised for and then shout out which side they’re on.
“Ultimately leading to one woman sitting there in a room full of strangers feeling ganged up on. From someone who knows exactly what that feels like my heart is breaking watching this. It is so unbelievably wrong.”
She ended her statement to send a comment directly to April Holmes: “Well done you for sticking up for her”, she said.
On her own Instagram page, Leisha wrote: “I was so nervous and excited in the same breath but I knew the plane situation would be brought up. I’m just here trying to have a good time.”
Hannah was matched with Stephen Nolson during her time on the experiment, but their budding romance quickly went sour.
Channel 4 have not commented on Hannah’s latest statement, but at the time she spoke out about the treatment she received, a spokesperson said: “The show is a fair and accurate reflection of events during filming.”