Married At First Sight UK’s JJ Slater calls out ‘uneducated’ online trolls
"The whole time I was just trying to follow my heart and be kind along the way"
JJ Slater, from Married At First Sight UK, has branded online trolls as “uneducated” after he came under abuse for his romance with Ella Morgan Clark.
The 31-year-old appeared on the reality show where he met Clark, 29, the show’s first trans bride. The two bonded while married to Bianca Petronzi and Nathaniel Valentino respectively.
The new pair’s return wasn’t without negative comment online. Speaking to the MailOnline recently Slater, who runs a clothing brand in Essex, called online trolls “uneducated” and “narrow minded.”
“The whole time I was just trying to follow my heart and be kind along the way” – JJ Slater
He continued: “It is so sad that it happened. With Ella there has been a lot of transphobic and homophobic abuse.” Slater described himself as a “liberal, open-minded person, and a straight man.”
Slater said he did get told he was gay and bisexual by people online and in response told the MailOnline: “I know who I am and people that know me know who I am.”
He also said that Ella had helped educate him with Ella being the first trans person he had met. “The whole time I was just trying to follow my heart and be kind along the way.”
He also confirmed the two didn’t have sex mainly because the show was “already intense.”
While Slater and Clark didn’t end up together the two have had an impact on each other, with Slater explaining that Ella had helped him “grow as a person.”
Clark also experienced abuse online, eventually leaving social media. In October she posted: “I’m going to be taking a break from my socials as it’s hard seeing/reading the constant abuse I’ve received recently, especially the transphobic abuse.”