Married At First Sight UK 2025 groom attacked by nine men and left with broken nose, fractured cheekbone and shattered teeth

Steven Springett, now 34, had a promising football career and was in his early 20s when he was kicked and punched by nine men. The attack, which had been provoked by a past college dispute, left the TV groom with serious facial injuries.

In the six months afterwards, he had to wear a face and mask and did not want to leave the house. He has since undergone extensive reconstructive surgery.

MAFS viewers were briefly introduced to Steven last night during the launch episode of this year’s series when he met his fellow grooms at the stag party. In tonight’s episode (Monday September 22), they’ll get to learn more about him as he is matched with his bride and has his wedding day.

Ahead of the scenes airing, the reality star has spoken to The Daily Mail about how the attack shaped his approach to life, and what it feels like to be getting married on TV.

He told the publication: “My positive outlook, why I am the way I am today, the way I see the world . . . is because of that attack. At first it was like I've got scars on my face people are going to see me a little bit differently. But now I see them as the reason I am who I am. It's character building. It shows that I've won, and they lost.”

Steven, who used to play for Ebbsfleet United but now works as an investment banking manager, was leaving a nightclub on his own when the group of men, who he previously had a minor disagreement with at college, set upon him.

Speaking about what happened to him, he said he was surrounded and was punched from “all angles”. Explaining the injuries he got and the lasting impact of them, he said: “I fractured my right cheekbone, I've damaged my teeth, I've got a few scars on my chin. I shattered my nose, so I've still got a slight bend in there, but I had reconstructive surgery.”

He needed dozens of stitches in his face to repair the damage in the immediate aftermath. Now, a decade later, Steven has undergone multiple cosmetic surgeries to further repair the physical damage.

He said it was the mental impact that were more difficult to deal with, but he has learned to do so. He said: “For the first six months I was in a horrible place, because I didn't want to go out. I had to wear a face mask. When they started healing, they went purple, and I could see people looking at me thinking, urgh, put the mask back on.

“But you can only hide behind a mask for so long. I had to change my profession . . . I was in my early 20s, and being a young adolescent male, it's a horrible age. It's never a nice age, but that's the age where you tend to find yourself, especially in pro football, but also in life - as a man.

He went on: “The scars weren't going to vanish - I'm not Harry Potter . . . I can't just magic them away. It was more like 'I can't control how they are going to heal.' And I've taken that into my life - I can only control what I can do, and if it's out of my control, why stress about it?”

Steven believes he was attacked because the men took a dislike to him after his talent on the football field became evident. He recalled how one of the thugs had previously thrown forks at him across the college canteen. There was also a verbal altercation which started over a girl two years before the attack.

Steven admitted: “I said a few things and a few people laughed, which he obviously didn't like. Then two years later he remembered my face. It was a two-year vendetta - I must have cut him deep verbally for that to happen. But I put myself in that situation, when really, I shouldn't have.”

One of the perpetrators was sentenced to 10 months in prison.

Talking about his decision to sign up for MAFS he said: “I never thought I would be on TV. I know with football . . . it can always happen here and there. But I think you normally see people on TV who look at the Beckhams of the world, and how beautifully he's structured, and Idris Elba. You think they only look for a certain face.

“So, I was like, 'why would they want a face that looks like this?’ But, obviously, life's not all about looks, right? It only gets you so far. It's all about your energy and personality that you can bring and the impact that you have on other people and influence.”

As a result of his experiences, Steven, who is now a father-of-two, believes he will be helpful to the other brides and grooms in the often-lively dinner party segments - as he believes he will be a calming presence.

He said: “I'd like to think I'll have a big impact in this whole experiment. With other couples, in terms of giving advice and vice versa, I will learn from it and grow from it. Because there are things that are not perfect, but we've all got flaws.”

The TV star says he is determined to be open about what happened to him. “This is how I've turned it into a positive. I'm massive on the mental health side of things and people need to check in with themselves from time to time. You can talk about past traumas - we've all got them,” he said. “Just use that as a positive going forward - use that as your fuel, basically. I'm a confident speaker now.”