A picture tying MAFS intruder Evelyn Ellis and Andrew Tate from their Big Brother days recently resurfaced.
Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault and physical violence.
A photo of Married at First Sight (MAFS) Australia bride, Evelyn Ellis, posing with Andrew Tate, a British-American kickboxer who is facing sex trafficking charges in Romania, has emerged. The photo was posted on Tate’s Instagram account years before he was banned from the social media platform for hate speech.
Ellis and Tate were previously housemates on Big Brother UK in 2016, where they engaged in hot tub escapades. Channel 5 later removed Tate from the show for undisclosed reasons. Tate accused the network of giving him the boot over an “edited” video of him beating a woman with a “felt” belt, but Channel 5 has never confirmed the allegations.
Tate, who is known for his woman-hating views, was arrested in Romania on December 29 along with his brother and two women as authorities investigate numerous allegations of sex trafficking and rape. They deny the charges and remain in custody.
Ellis, who debuted as an intruder on Monday’s episode of MAFS Australia, was working as a nightclub hostess in London when she entered the Big Brother UK house. The photo of her with Tate was taken when they were on holiday together in Thailand in 2016. The photo has raised questions about whether Channel Nine knew about Tate’s past when it cast Ellis on the show.
Ellis has since made comment on the current status of her relationship with Tate, speaking on the We’ve Done the MAFS podcast, “We definitely don’t keep in contact now,” she said.
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“One, he’s in jail. Two, it’s definitely my old life and I think his old life. It all kind of blew up out of nowhere and I can’t believe they found that photo and it’s resurfaced. I did not expect that at all.
“Andrew and I were in the (Big Brother) house briefly at the same time, and he left early. We stayed friends and when Andrew was in my life and we were mates or whatever, he wasn’t Andrew Tate (that we know today).
“He wasn’t this big controversial person that like the media goes on about. I think he knows what to say and what to do to get people rattled.”
When Ellis first went on Big Brother she was only 18.
“Imagine being 18, ploughed with alcohol and then having cameras in your face and then going on live television. I don’t think I was mentally in the right place to sign myself up.”
The emergence of the photo also brings the spotlight back onto Tate, who has a history of promoting misogynistic views on social media. He has previously said that “a woman’s place is in the kitchen, and on her back,” and “I don’t think it’s possible for a woman to be raped by a man, unless he wants her to be.” He has also posted videos of himself hitting women, and once claimed that he could earn £200,000 a year by renting out women as sex slaves.
In 2015, Andrew Tate, was arrested for rape following a complaint from a woman who shared messages sent by Tate to police in which he wrote, “I love raping you.” Tate was also arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and physical abuse the same year due to allegations by two other complainants. The Crown Prosecution Service declined to pursue charges against Tate for any of these allegations in 2019, citing doubts in the cases.
The third woman, who is referred to under the pseudonym of“Amelia,” came forward to VICE World News with allegations of rape that occurred in November 2013, which Tate vehemently denies. Two other women also went public with their experiences, including one who said she was raped, and the other who said she was repeatedly strangled.
The women revealed that it took Hertfordshire Police four years to pass the case to prosecutors, who declined to prosecute. Amelia’s complaint was part of the same investigation that concluded in 2019 with no realistic prospect of a conviction.
The controversy surrounding Tate’s appearance on Big Brother UK caused a media firestorm at the time. While Channel 5 did not confirm the allegations against him, the fact that he was removed from the house suggests that they may have had some merit. With the emergence of the photo of Ellis and Tate, it remains to be seen whether Channel Nine will take any action in response.
In the UK, the Survivors Trust provides support for people who have experienced sexual assault, abuse, or rape. Rape Crisis provides specialist information and support to those affected by all forms of sexual violence and abuse, and is the membership organisation for 39 Rape Crisis centres.
