Paul Brunson, the British matchmaker from Married at First Sight, has revealed he was groped on a train in front of his wife and children.
The 50-year-old American star says a group of five women recognised him from his TV appearances and that one of the women touched him inappropriately as he disembarked.
Paul, who also stars in E4 show Celebs Go Dating, admits he was most concerned about his wife having to witness the situation and hoped she would avoid confrontation with the woman.
To his relief, Paul says his wife Jill managed to keep her cool, but the relationship guru found it “unacceptable” to be touched without consent.
Paul told MailOnline exclusively: ‘We got off the train, my sons got off first and then my wife and I followed.
British matchmaker Paul Brunson has revealed he was groped on a train in front of his wife and children.
The American star says a group of five women recognised him from his TV appearances and one of the participants touched him inappropriately as he disembarked
‘Five women got on the train. They saw me and when I got off, they grabbed my butt.
“My wife was so stylish, she looked at it and smiled. Sometimes people try to test the line and the best thing you can do is remove yourself. I was more worried about my wife in that situation. It was unacceptable.”
Paul has often suffered from unwanted attention.
Since becoming one of the most famous faces on British dating shows, he has been inundated with ‘naughty DMs’, ‘shocking pictures’ and ‘requests’ from fans who find his good looks and calm demeanor attractive.
And his popularity is something his childhood sweetheart, to whom he has been married for 23 years, has slowly become accustomed to.
He explained, “I’ve had my fair share of naughty DMs. I’ve had some scantily clad DMs, some graphic photos, some requests.
‘My wife Jill saw an article that said ‘fans are craving a hot relationship guru’ and she said ‘oooh, I get to be with that hot dating guru tonight’. She likes it, but it’s one of those things that makes me blush.
“I’m grateful for the love and I also know that not everyone agrees with the topics that I talk about, but I still appreciate the love that I get when I’m out there.”
Paul, who also stars in E4 show Celebs Go Dating, admits he was more worried about his wife (pictured) having to witness the situation
Paul has been married to his wife Jill for 23 years and together they have sons Liam, ten, and Kingston, thirteen.
Paul has been a regular on British television for six years and has been working on Celebs Go Dating since 2018.
He has guided the love lives of stars including ex-Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan, Strictly’s Pete Wicks and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! winner Sam Thompson during his time on the show.
But it was a global superstar who gave Paul his big break on TV: American talk show queen Oprah Winfrey.
The iconic presenter discovered him after one of her employees, who worked on her magazine, became one of his clients. Shortly before that, she had quit her job in banking to become a full-time relationship coach and started her own YouTube channel.
He was inspired to change careers after council members who worked at a summer camp where he volunteered compared him to Will Smith’s character in the movie Hitch, a dating coach.
Paul explained: ‘They said it as a joke, but that’s what inspired me. I went to the Matchers Institute conference in New York and I was sitting in the back of a room with 250 of the world’s best matchers and I looked around the room and thought there was no one here who looked like me and I could bring something different to this space, and that’s when I started researching matchmaking.’
On Oprah’s influence, Paul added: “We put out a YouTube video every week and this is not a joke, this is the truth. We got 11 or 12 views and my mom watched it at least nine times, so three people watched it.
“But it turns out that Oprah Winfrey was one of the people who was watching. The backstory of that, and this is a story I rarely tell, is that a lot of people say, how did Oprah find you if no one was watching your show?
In addition to his work on TV, Paul is Tinder’s Global Relationship Insights Expert and has also recently launched a new podcast called Need To Talk
Paul stars opposite Charlene Douglas in Married at First Sight UK, in which they guide couples who have married at the altar for the first time through their relationships
“She found me because months before, when we were setting up our agency, we had pro bono clients. One of our clients that I was working with for free turned out to be a writer for O Magazine, and she hadn’t told me she worked there, and she told Oprah about me.
‘I got a message from the Oprah Winfrey Network and was immediately invited to co-host a TV show, which was a social experiment with Oprah and that’s what led me to TV. Through Oprah’s endorsement, the matchmaking agency grew.
‘Fast forward to 2018: I receive a message from producers on Celebs Go Dating and it changes our lives forever.’
Paul and his family, including ten-year-old sons Liam and thirteen-year-old Kingston, are now firmly settled in the UK. He has even become a co-owner of amateur football club Sutton United.
In addition to his TV work, Paul is Tinder’s Global Relationship Insights Expert and recently launched a new podcast called Need To Talk.
The Washington-born star is currently mentoring newlyweds on the latest series of Married At First Sight UK, which kicked off this week.
The final episode already caused controversy after new groom Alex Henry was accused of domestic abuse.
Paul insists that every candidate be thoroughly vetted and that he, along with his fellow experts Charlene Douglas and Mel Schilling, take swift action if they display worrying behavior.
He said: ‘There is a full casting team for the show, doing background checks, psychological checks, interviews etc. and we meet the staff.
The Washington-born star navigates newlyweds in the current series of Married At First Sight UK, which kicked off this week
Paul insists that every candidate who goes on the show is thoroughly screened and that he and fellow experts Charlene Douglas and Mel Schilling take action if they behave suspiciously.
The matchmaker has worked with transgender star Ella Morgan on MAFS and Celebs Go Dating
‘I have to trust that Channel 4 and the production company have done their utmost in terms of that process.
“The process improves itself every year. It’s a thorough process, it involves a police background check, a psychological evaluation, a multitude of interviews, all of that is done and when that’s all resolved, and what’s resolved is all of the available information, then we’re introduced to the contributors.
“When we hear about bad behavior, it’s disheartening. But ultimately, I believe that most people are generally good people, but we all have behaviors that need to be addressed.
“The beauty of this show is that people can watch it and see that they are exhibiting the same behavior as their partner, and they are given the tools to address it.”
A major storyline so far in the series involves bride Emma Barnes, who is devastated by her new husband Kasper Todd’s comments about her weight.
Paul stresses that he and his relationship experts will put the groom in his place for his attitude towards the female body.
He added: ‘Believe me, I am addressing this specific issue. At Married at First Sight UK we are here to help with accountability and I have held the party accountable for this.’