MAFS UK 2023: Brad Skelly confirms relationship with Instagram influencer after Married at First Sight exit

Married at First Sight UK groom Brad Skelly has confirmed his relationship with Instagram influencer Hollie Baldwin after his exit from the show.

In a recent episode of the E4 dating reality show, viewers saw Skelly leave the show alongside the woman he had been partnered with, Shona Manderson. Last week, before the scenes aired, there were rumours that Skelly was dating the fitness influencer after they were allegedly spotted kissing at the VIP Scarefest launch at Alton Towers on Friday 6 October.

Now it seems that Skelly has confirmed the pairing by posting a photo of the two of them together on his Instagram page. So, just who are Skelly, Manderson and Baldwin, what happened between Skelly and Manderson and what did Skelly say about Baldwin on Instagram? Here’s what you need to know.

Who is Brad Skelly?

Skelly is a 28-year-old model from Grimsby. You can find him on Instagram @BradSkelly. The dad-of-one, who has a nine-year-old son, is no stranger to reality TV as he featured on Celebs Go Dating in 2016.

Who is Shona Manderson?

Manderson is a 31-year-old performing arts teacher from Nottingham. You can find her on Instagram @ShonieMandy. 

Who is Hollie Baldwin?

Baldwin is a 25-year-old fitness influencer from Manchester. You can find her personal Instagram account @hollieebaldwinx and her professional Instagram account at @fitness_hollx.

What happened between Brad Skelly and Shona Manderson?

Skelly and Manderson were paired on the 2023 UK series of reality dating show Married at First Sight. Fans of the show, referred to as MAFS, first had high hopes for the couple when they were paired by experts Paul C Brunson, Mel Schilling and Charlene Douglas during the social experiment which sees single strangers from across the country meet for the first time on their wedding day.

They had instant chemistry and quickly declared that they loved each other. But, problems soon started appearing in the couple’s relationship after they moved in together, and the experts raised concerns about Skelly’s behaviour towards his wife. He told her to shut up during a dinner party with the other couples, accused her of being emotionally immature, and then spoke about “allowing” her to have certain feelings.

The pair were initially offered support from the experts, who did challenge Skelly on his actions and language use, but when Skelly and Manderson hit more issues a short while later Brunson and Schilling intervened and told them their relationship wasn’t working and told them they must leave as the environment of the experiment was not healthy for them. This episode aired on Thursday 12 October.

Channel 4 had already confirmed earlier this month, however, that Skelly and Manderson were asked to leave the experiment. In a statement shared with Mail Online, Channel 4 said: "The couple's exit plays out in the show. It was agreed alongside experts Paul, Mel and Charlene that the intensive Married at First Sight environment was not working for the couple and it was the right time to leave the experiment.

"The relationships on Married at First Sight UK are closely monitored off screen by production and an independent psychologist. If any of the relationships develop in a way that is deemed to be potentially unhealthy for either party, we would take expert psychological advice as to whether it was time for them to leave the process.

"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 during filming, including 24/7 access to a member of the welfare team or psych support.”

Are Brad Skelly and Hollie Baldwin together?

It would appear that Skelly and Baldwin are in a relationship. On Sunday evening (15 October), Skelly uploaded a selfie of the pair together. In the image, the duo are looking in the mirror in an unknown location, with Skelly’s arm around Baldwin.

They were both wearing all black outfits and sporting sunglasses and had deadpan expressions, however, he captioned the image with a blue heart and tagged her in it. Baldwin shared the same image to her Instagram stories.

The couple also shared other images of them together on their respective Instagram stories, including of them enjoying a meal and drinks together for Skelly’s birthday, which was on Tuesday (10 October). There was also an image showing them each holding a Costa cup, with the addition of another person also holding a cup. The hand appears to be a child’s, suggesting that Baldwin may have met Skelly’s son.

Skelly and Baldwin were reportedly spotted kissing at the VIP Scarefest launch at Alton Towers on Friday 6 October.  A source told MailOnline at the time: 'It wasn't long after Brad was axed from Married At First Sight UK that he and Shona went their separate ways.

"Brad and Hollie know each other from their hometown and connected instantly, they were kissing in front of the other MAFS UK cast on Friday night, they weren't holding anything back. Hollie didn't pose for any of the official photographs at the launch event as Brad was keen not to give away that his marriage with Shona is over. But they are an item and looked really loved up.”

The supposed new couple were joined by Married At First Sight UK 2023 co-stars Nathaniel Valentino, Tasha Jay and Paul Lina, plus Love Island's Michael Griffiths and Christopher Taylor.