MAFS UK Couple Matt And Shona Went 'On Lockdown' When Relationship Was Leaked

13 December 2023, 13:32 | Updated: 13 December 2023, 15:50

Married at First Sight UK couple Matt and Shona recalled what really went down when their relationship – which was secret at first – was made public.

Married at First Sight UK 2023 may have come to an end but a lot of the relationships are still going strong, including surprise couple Shona Manderson and Matt Pilmoor who got together at the end of the E4 experiment, after originally being paired with partners Brad Skelly and Adrienne Naylor.

A few weeks after the dating show – fronted by relationship experts Mel Schilling, Charlene Douglas and Paul C Brunson – came to an end, we caught up with Matt and Shona, who are totally loved up five months after they started dating.

The couple iconically confirmed their romance moments after the final MAFS UK episode had aired, just a few weeks after a picture of them at a Starbucks together was leaked online – a photo Shona revealed led them to go 'on lockdown' after producers feared they'd be spotted again before the series had finished. The series at that point had just got started with Matt and Adrienne's story.

• Read more: Married At First Sight’s Matt Pilmoor Says He’s ‘Complete’ With New Girlfriend Shona Manderson
• Read more: Married At First Sight UK Confirm Dramatic Third Reunion Show

Matt told us: "I was more annoyed than [Shona] that was probably because I’d just had two episodes, I'd just come into the process and then this article came out and the producers were like, ‘look there’s not a lot we can do about this coming out’.

Shona added, "We kind of had to go on lockdown after that," revealing they had plans to go to London with the cast but were advised by the show's bosses not to go. They also were cautious of being respectful to Matt and Adrienne's love story which was playing out on TV at the time.

She explained: "We had plans to go to London but we were gonna go separately and go on this night out with the cast but we just weren’t allowed to go. They were like, ‘it’s just too obvious’. There was a lot of pressure on us to not go.

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A post shared by Shona Manderson 🪐✨🌸 (@shoniemandy)

"It was out of respect for Matt and Adrienne’s storyline because we so could have been like ‘yeah we are together’ and no one would have followed them on the telly. With Bradley and I everyone knew we weren’t together but that’s a completely different story because it wasn’t healthy, whereas those two were having a nice journey together."

Shona said the comments died down after they returned to keeping a low profile: "But we never got papped again so the comments kind of started to die down."

Matt and Shona began dating in July after meeting for the first time at the reunion show. Weeks prior, Matt and Adrienne had broken up after realising they wanted different things from their marriage. Meanwhile, Shona and original husband Brad split five weeks after the experts advised them to leave the experiment.

Shona and Matt share loved up clip as they continue relationship after MAFS UK

Mel Schilling raised concerns over the unhealthy language Brad was using toward Shona, after returning from their honeymoon super loved up and affectionate. She claims he later brutally told her he never loved her and instead had feelings of lust while on the show together.

Asked what advice they'd give to contestants beginning the process for the new series, Shona said: "Have a level head on your shoulders and don’t romanticise it too much."

Almost a year on from when she was cast for the show and Shona is planning her future with Matt; the couple have plans to move in together in a place of their own with Shona's beloved dog Winston.

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