A Married at First Sight UK groom has posted an emotional Instagram statement to say his family has ‘fallen apart’.
Matt Pilmoor, who married a stranger on MAFS UK back in 2023, has opened up about the events that that he says have “changed him forever” in a raw post.
The reality star, who has been dating co-star Shona Manderson for two years, wrote over the top of a series of photos of himself and his family: “My life changed forever, and struggling to get my head around it. The last few weeks have hit me hard.”
He went on to explain that the reason for this was his parents both having ill health. Matt has already spoken openly about his mum having a range of serious brain issues, including Alzheimer’s, and the devastating impact that has had on him.
He went on in his latest statement: “The woman I idolise and adore has changed so quickly this year.” Speaking about his mum and dad, he said: “My family has fallen apart. They live in separate care homes due to different needs.
Going on to talk about his mum, he said: “The normal conversations have gone, it’s staying in a new world which is different for us both. My mum had three miscarriages before me, she always said ‘you’re a gift and was worth every struggle’. That’s why every struggle is worth it for me today.”
Married at First Sight UK groom Matt Pilmoor has opened up on what led his family to ‘fall apart’ in 2025. Photo by Channel 4. | Channel 4
He ended his statement to say he was sharing his feelings to raise awareness of dementia and stroke, and so that anyone else experiencing it in their family knows they are not alone.
In the caption, he wrote: “Something I have recently learnt is what it’s like living in her world with Alzheimer’s, it takes patience and love. Repeating the same stories and pretending like you haven’t heard it before.
“Reality really has hit me over the last few weeks, I have had so much to sort out this year with the house, the dogs, and my parents. Now things are slowing down and the more I’m trying to get back to my own life everything is coming back to me which is tough.”
He also revealed that next year I will be doing some things to help raise awareness of the “horrible” disease, and said he “couldn’t wait” to tell his fans about them, while thanking them for their support.
Matt and Shona, who were on the same series of MAFS but were paired with different partners before getting together, are the only remaining couple from series eight specifically. They are also only one of five couples from all ten MAFS UK series who remain together.
Shona was married to Brad Skelly, and at first their romance looked very promising. But, the experts soon raised concerns with Brad’s behavious towards his new wife, calling him out for gaslighting her, and the pair were asked to leave the experiment and split a short time after.
Matt, meanwhile, had been married to Adrienne Naylor but the pair’s romance was short-lived. Due to the time they each entered and left the experiement, Shona and Matt did not meet until a subsequent reunion show in June 2023.
They have been dating ever since and are said to want to get married and start a family. During a MAFS UK reunion special, which aired earlier this year and included 2023 and 2024 cast members, Matt gave Shona a promise ring – something many viewers thought was an indication he would soon propose.