Married at First Sight Australia 2025‘s Sierah Swepstone has exposed Billy Belcher‘s criminal past and allegations of abuse from three of his ex-girlfriends, which she claims producers ignored.
As reported by The Australian, Sierah’s TV husband, Billy, was given an 18-month suspended sentence for multiple “serious drug charges” in Perth in 2014.
Trigger warning: This article references domestic violence
During part one of her tell-all on the So Dramatic! podcast, Sierah claimed she wasn’t informed about Billy’s criminal history before the show, despite producers “being aware of it” prior to casting him after conducting extensive background checks on all participants.
Married at First Sight‘s Sierah Swepstone questions why she wasn’t informed of her TV husband’s criminal past
The bride went on to explain that if she’d have known, she wouldn’t have consented to “marrying” him. She also asserted that all participants should have the choice to decide whether they are comfortable being matched with a convicted criminal.
“Why was someone with a criminal record cast in the first place? Why wasn’t I informed? Why wasn’t I given the opportunity to consent?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t have been okay knowing that,” she admitted to host Megan Pustetto. “What’s the purpose of MAFS doing police checks if they ignore criminal convictions? That’s the whole point of doing them.”
Married at First Sight‘s Sierah Swepstone accuses producers of “negligence” and conducting a “cover-up”
Sierah also expressed that she felt like producers tried to “cover up” Billy’s criminal charges because they made a “f*ck up casting him in the first place with a criminal record.”
“Not telling me, even though they were fully aware of it. There were obviously warning signs missed. They witnessed what happened to me. The fact that I was completely silenced during airing, and they completely f*cked me. Yet, there is very little shown of us throughout the series.
Sierah said that she feels producers were worried about his dark past coming to light. So instead, they decided to villainise her to protect Billy’s image and save face.
“You can’t take chances,” she said. “Unfortunately, they did. And it went very, very badly for me. I was punished because of it-because of their choice to cast someone who should have never been there in the first place.”
Married at First Sight‘s Billy Belcher’s exes claim he allegedly ‘psychologically’ and ‘physically’ abused them
Alongside Billy’s criminal charges, Sierah alleged that producers also ignored the warnings from three of his exes, who came forward to them with allegations of “physical and psychological abuse”.
“The ex I spoke to said police were involved on one occasion,” Sierah claimed. “She was hysterical when she found out Billy was going to be on MAFS, and got in contact with the show.”
However, her message and another similar message from a second woman, which were sent to producers, were both ignored.
Channel Nine IGNORED allegations of abuse from THREE of MAFS’ groom Billy Belcher’s ex-partners
So Dramatic! has obtained the leaked messages that Billy’s two exes sent to Channel Nine and production company Endemol Shine Australia, urging them to remove him from the show due to concerns that he may harm others.
“You really need to have a look at Billy,” the ex wrote back in June. “Two other exes and I were mentally and physically abused by him. He’s a first-class narcissist, which will be revealed very quickly to the viewers.”
Another source messaged the show on Instagram in July 2024, sharing her “deep concern” regarding Billy’s appearance on the series.
“As someone who has personally witnessed the severe physical and mental abuse he inflicted on his former partner, I feel it is my responsibility to inform you of this history,” the message read.
“His abusive behaviour has caused significant trauma and distress. Allowing him to participate in your show would not only provide him with a platform but also potentially endanger others.”
The source urged producers to “reconsider” Billy’s participation in the show to protect the well-being of everyone involved.
Married at First Sight‘s Sierah Swepstone opens up about her history of abuse
To make matters worse, Sierah also revealed that she’d disclosed her history of “family abuse” and “domestic violence” multiple times throughout the casting process.
“Because of that, they legally had a higher duty of care for me,” she said. “To think that they’d even risk putting someone who has a criminal record in a high-pressure situation like that… I don’t understand how that’s not incredibly negligent.”
Sierah recalled that she discovered Billy’s exes in October 2024. She informed the producers, yet they still brought him back to film the Reunion, which made her feel unprotected and unsafe.
“Producers are legally obligated to provide psychological safety, because it’s a workplace,” she said.
“Where were the safeguards for them to protect me and identify when things were a risk for me?”
Sierah Swepstone criticises the MAFS casting process for putting her “at risk”
Sierah also heavily criticised the show’s casting process and asserted she was “put at risk” due to their reckless decisions.
“I don’t think it’s fair for anyone with a trauma background to have to miss out on these opportunities because they’ve had bad things happen to them.
“How about excluding the people who are likely to cause the bad things to happen? Like the ones with criminal records. Don’t make the ones who have trauma suffer. Provide safe environments for them.”
Well said, Sierah!
To hear more about Sierah’s tumultuous experience on MAFS, listen to the episode below!
