It has been revealed that Married At First Sight producers knowingly paired a man who admitted to assault with a recent assault victim.
The Herald Sun reported yesterday that the show’s most controversial star Jono Pitman admitted to assaulting a man during a punch-up in 2008 and was ordered to undertake an anger management course by Ringwood Magistrates Court.
The newspaper alleges the Nine Network knew about the assault, and still paired Jono with Clare Verrall, who was left with a black eye, broken nose and broken toe after a man attacked her while she walking her dog last year.
Clare, who has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder since the attack, said she was shocked to learn of her TV groom’s violent past.
“I was very disappointed that, knowing my history of PTSD after a violent attack and knowing I had joined the show earnestly trying to put myself out there to find love, the show and psychologists partnered me with someone who had known anger management issues and who has been arrested for violent behaviour,” she told the Herald Sun.
A Nine Network spokeswoman said both Jono and Clare were aware of each other’s histories and neither requested to pull out of the show.
“Jono does not have a history of violence, he has no criminal record,” the statement said. “He was involved in an incident eight years ago and attended an anger-management course, which was known.
“Clare and Jono discussed the incident on the honeymoon and at no stage did either request to withdraw.”
Clare and Jono’s short-lived “marriage” was tumultuous at best, and ended before the show finished filming.
