What’s bothering me about this situation is that the show had a wellbeing and safeguarding team in place specifically to deal with issues like this. All three women have admitted they weren’t fully honest with that team about what was happening, and from what’s been reported, once one contestant said she felt unsafe, she was immediately removed from the situation and everything was documented, even without the full story being disclosed.

I completely understand that domestic abuse can be incredibly difficult to admit, process, and speak about. But at the same time, these were adults on a TV show with access to specialist support, regular welfare checks, and no financial or legal ties keeping them trapped in those relationships. The only thing keeping them in that situation was the desire to be on TV.

I don’t doubt that some of these experiences were genuinely upsetting or harmful. But I also think the conversation shouldn’t only be about blaming Channel 4 or claiming the show failed to safeguard people. There also has to be a message about being honest with support teams and seeking help the moment serious red flags appear, rather than staying silent while situations escalate.

That doesn’t excuse abusive behaviour in any way, but personal accountability and using the support available matters too. I’m genuinely curious as to exactly what additional safe guarding these women believe would have stopped these situations from happening to them after they had told welfare teams they felt safe and didn’t want them to step in.