MAFS UK's Nathanial claims he was 'manipulated' by show bosses into marrying ... trends now

Married At First Sight UK star Nathanial Valentino has claimed he was 'manipulated' into marrying transgender bride Ella Morgan by show bosses, branding the E4 series a 'sham' - allegations the broadcaster strenuously denies. 

Nathanial, 36, who identifies as pansexual and is attracted to a person regardless of gender, said he originally turned down the pairing with the busty blonde beauty, 29, after requesting a match with someone who displayed 'masculine energy'. 

Telling The Mirror that producers 'encouraged' him reconsider his decision as not to ruin Ella's 'story' and said production crew 'provoked conflict' behind the scenes with no interest in helping the couples find love.

He told the publication: 'The way some were treated on the show became very dark. Pretty much from the start it was a complete sham'. 

Amongst his many shocking claims Nathanial said the participants were fed pre-scripted lines by a team which he nicknamed 'the little b***hes and witches' and at one point were even confined to in their rooms for 22 hours a day.

'That was the kind of manipulation that went on. [the team] were like goblins whispering in people's ears. I'd be having a great conversation with Ella, she would be pulled away and, five minutes later, we'd have an ­argument about the exact same thing'.

Nathanial, who quit the show early, said he eventually agreed to marry Ella, with his only stipulation being he didn't someone that smoked or worked in the 'sex industry' only to discover on their honeymoon that his new wife had been a stripper. 

Going on to say while his bride became a 'monster' as a result of the interfering production crew another participant was left having a 'full-on panic attack'. 

A Channel 4 spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Nathanial entered this process voluntarily with full and informed consent, and in this instance was actually provided with more information than we would ordinarily share with cast members, to make him aware that his bride was trans'. 

'The matching process entails a detailed interrogation of every participant’s preferences and none of these would be overlooked when deciding who to pair them with'. 

'The welfare of all contributors on Married at First Sight UK is our top priority and we ensure that appropriate support is available to contributors at all times before, during and after filming – including 24/7 access to a member of the welfare team or psych support'. 

'The show is an unscripted reality series which follows real events as they naturally unfold, and is in no way scripted'. 

It comes after MailOnline revealed Ella  shared a passionate kiss with a contestant on the E4 series that enters the experiment at a later date behind Nathanial's back despite them committing to each other on their wedding day.