A Married at First Sight groom has admitted he made a "massive mistake" during his time on the Channel 4 reality show.

Caspar Todd, a gardener from the New Forest, married Emma Barnes, a complete stranger that he had been matched with by a panel of experts.

He was heavily criticised both online and on the show for telling his new bride during their honeymoon that he had "rarely gone for the curvier person".

Mr Todd told BBC Radio Solent that he had apologised "thousands of times" and would keep on apologising as "you don't say something like that".

He described their whole honeymoon in Jamaica as a "very bizarre situation" and said he was "feeling quite alone" and was just "trying to work out where the spark's coming from".

Married at First Sight is a social experiment, where single people marry total strangers, meeting for the first time at the altar.

The weddings on the show are not legally binding.

In 2018, former contestants from Love Island and Geordie Shore warned about the impact being on a reality TV show can have on mental health.

They urged producers behind such programmes to offer better support to their contestants.

But Caspar praised the support he has received from the show's welfare team, who he said have been in touch with him while the programme airs.

"Every day I have a call from the welfare team from Channel 4 and I also have access to a psych as well and they're fantastic," he said.

"So if I really am struggling, and I'm not going to lie when you're thrust into it, and then everyone starts knowing who you are and you're being recognised in Tesco and that sort of stuff, it becomes quite a lot.

"So having that support network behind you, who are going to just pick up a phone to you and say yep, we'll sort you out, it's been great."

The show is still being broadcast so Caspar cannot say whether things worked out in the end with his wife Emma.

But he was clear on one thing, he was unlikely to be popping up again on our screens anytime soon.

"No," he said with a chuckle. "I probably wouldn't do reality TV again - given the option."

The couple's troubled romance

Caspar and Emma's relationship has been anything but smooth sailing from the start. The couple's initial honeymoon was marred by Caspar's controversial comment, and their dynamic has continued to be strained throughout the series. However, recent episodes of the show have shown a glimmer of hope for the couple.

In a recent episode, Caspar confided in the other contestants about his feelings towards Emma, expressing that he felt she wasn't able to open up and be vulnerable with him. "I don’t think Emma currently has the ability to open up and consider how she behaves. It’s an issue for any relationship she’s in – it can’t all be my fault,” he said.

He later said that he felt like he was the one being asked to make all the changes in the relationship. "I’m here to learn and grow but Emma hasn’t taken on board any of the changes she’s been asked to make. I’m running out of energy for it,” he said, before storming off from the table.

Emma, however, defended her husband, explaining that some of the scenes are taken out of context and that she has received a lot of unfair criticism online. "Seeing the public perception, actually, I think, what's been given out is it is an edited show and you have to remember that,” she told Bristol Live. "I think that you can't film and put out every conversation and the whole conversation that you have. And I think a lot of what hasn't been shown potentially is the deep dive in the whys and hows and reasons why people say things that they do because otherwise, it would go on for about 60 hours a night, right?"

Despite the couple's struggles, there are signs that they are making progress.

During a recent retreat, the pair were able to spend some quality time together and it seemed as though they were able to connect on a deeper level. In the episode, Emma told Caspar that she was ready for a kiss, and he admitted that he saw a future with his wife.

Will they stay together?

Caspar has admitted that he has made a "massive mistake" during his time on the show, but he has also said that he is committed to making the relationship work. However, it remains to be seen whether the couple will be able to overcome their differences.

Fans of the show will have to wait and see what happens next for Caspar and Emma. Will they be able to work things out? Or will they be the next couple to call it quits on Married at First Sight UK?

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