Ella Morgan Clark, the first transgender contestant to appear on the popular E4 reality series Married at First Sight, has opened up about her time on the show.
Married at First Sight sees experts pair up contestants with romantic matches, drawing on scientific and socialogical profiling.
The couples then meet at the alter, and are filmed in their new marriage for six weeks. At the end of the timeframe, the contestants decide whether they wish to stay together or not.
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, Clark spoke out about her experience appearing on the series – stating that her partner had been told she was trans before filming began.
“No-one’s ever really fully accepted me,” she said. “I thought it would get easier once I’d had my surgery. Unfortunately, it was not any easier. There’s still this stigma and this embarrassment of dating someone who’s transitioned.
“Because it was the first time Channel 4 had ever done something like this, I agreed along with them that once they’d found me a match my husband was made aware that I was trans prior to the wedding,” she continued. “He was aware that I was trans and I had transitioned but he didn’t know anything else about me.”
In a statement, Channel 4 said that the decision to tell her partner that she was trans was necessary “to ensure fully informed consent”.
“In all other ways, the integrity of the format was preserved,” the statement continued. “Our priority during matchmaking is to protect the wellbeing of the cast and create compatible matches, based on detailed assessment of individual preferences, as part of an in-depth, careful matchmaking process.”
Speaking to the BBC, Clark went on to discuss her reservations about appearing on the series, explaining that the crew and cast’s reaction to her involvement had been “amazing”.
Ella Morgan Clark in a promotional shot for ‘Married at First Sight'— (Channel 4)
“I thought ‘oh God, I hope they like me, I hope they see me as me’,” she said. “As much as I’m so proud to say I’m a trans woman, I don’t always feel like I want to be seen as just that, there’s so much more to me.”
According to the TV star, the cast and crew “just saw me as Ella”.
“I was given the most overwhelming, amazing reception and welcome,” she added.
Married at First Sight continues at 9pm weekdays on E4. Episodes are available to stream on Channel 4 after airing.
