Sophie Brown has revealed the reason why she finds it difficult to watch back her season of Married At First Sight UK.
The reality star and businesswoman, 27, appeared on the 2022 series and exchanged her final vows with joiner Johnathan Wileman, 33 – but it was later revealed that they had split.
Sophie has since partnered with dating app Plenty Of Fish for a new campaign, which has led her to reflect on her dating journey since the show.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Sophie shared that she finds the Channel 4 programme difficult to watch back and has only seen it once, despite calling it a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience.
She said: ‘I’ve only watched it once since and I did that before the new season came out.
Sophie Brown has revealed the reason why she finds it difficult to watch back her season of Married At First Sight UK (pictured in June)
The reality star and businesswoman, 27, appeared on the 2022 series and exchanged vows with joiner Johnathan Wileman, 33
‘My wedding came across very differently on television than it was in real life. It was a beautiful day. I think it was just kind of the story of my partner and I and that’s how it went down.
‘But I always found it very difficult to watch it. But then I watched it back, and it was not as bad as I remember. It was nice to, you know, watch my family and things like that.
‘It’s a part of my life. really, And it’ll always be there. But I don’t think I’ll be watching it again any time soon.’
She added that she has also found the first few episodes of the latest series difficult to watch, especially seeing her wedding venue, but said doing so has given her ‘closure’.
Sophie is currently single and enjoying dating in central Manchester where she lives.
It has now been nearly two years since her MAFS experience and her split from former ‘husband’ Johnathan.
Her groom had attracted much frustration from viewers when the series aired in September 2022, as he was recorded saying he believed something was ‘missing’ with Sophie and made body-shaming comments about her. Furious fans took to social media to slam him for giving Sophie the ‘bare minimum’.
But Sophie’s experience has certainly not made her shy away from a serious relationship as she says she is still ‘super happy to settle down’ with the right person.
Sophie and Johnathan decided to stay together after the show and exchanged their final vows – but it was revealed they had split at the reunion
The reality star revealed she is currently single and is enjoying actively dating in Manchester
‘I was ready to get married at 26 so that’s all good with me!’ she told us, adding that she thinks her next relationship will move ‘quite quickly’.
However, the star admitted she had never expected to be in this position because she thought she was ‘going to end up with’ Johnathan after exchanging vows.
After filming, Johnathan was spotted out holding hands with another MAFS UK member, Amy Christophers, who starred on the 2021 series. He is since in a new relationship.
Sophie continued: ‘I think it’s been it has been difficult. I’ve said this before – no one really prepares you for the aftermath.
‘I think, you know, in my head personally, I thought I was gonna end up with the person for the rest of my life. So I didn’t really think about dating afterwards.’
And despite having no ‘regrets’ from her time on the show, Sophie says she wishes she’d spent more time having ‘fun’ with her fellow castmates rather than being ‘tied up’ in her own relationship.
She said: ‘My intentions were very genuine but I think the only thing is I sometimes think I kissed out on a lot of the fun.
‘Like a lot of the cast from this year, last year talk about how much fun they had together and went to each other’s apartments and all of this.
After the show ended, Johnathan was seen holding hands with a fellow MAFS star Amy
‘I think I was very tied up in my relationship as I went in as a latecomer. It would have been nice to have had more fun but there’s nothing I regret or anything like that.’
MAFS was Sophie’s first time on TV and being in the public eye has also changed her approach to dating, as she always wonders whether a date knows who she is and is aware of her past.
‘It’s a very weird landscape dating after a TV show that is based around romance,’ she said.
‘You know, a lot of people have watched you have a relationship unfold on television, which is a very intense thing to happen.’
She reflected on Plenty Of Fish’s ‘Investi-dating’ trend, which is when you research a date thoroughly on social media in the early stages of knowing them.
Sophie says she wishes she’d had more ‘fun’ on the show, instead of being ‘tied up’ in her relationship
Sophie admitted that as well as the usual research on the likes of Facebook and Instagram, she also enjoys a quick peruse of a potential suitor’s LinkedIn to make sure their professional goals also align.
Sophie previously worked as a tech Head of Channel and remains passionate about advocating for women in tech – although she now works in business consultancy.
As part of the new campaign with Sophie, dating app Plenty of Fish has revealed its must-know dating trends set to the shape the UK dating landscape in 2024 – from From ‘Smashing the Date-triarchy’ to ‘Contra-dating’.
‘Smashing the Date-triarchy’ highlights the trend of daters becoming increasingly less inclined to settle into the type of relationship society may expect – and choosing to forge their own path instead.
Meanwhile ‘Contra-dating’ is trying to date outside of your usual type and keeping an open mind.
Sophie herself said she also enjoys Groundhog-Day-Ting – which is taking your date to a familiar venue for safety – as well as dating during the week and saving the weekends for herself.
