Married at First Sight UK: Who is Whitney Hughes?

The 31-year-old legal PA has already faced fan criticism and backlash for her questionable behaviour

Married at First Sight UK returned to our screens in its seventh season on 29 August, with 17 hopeful singletons betting on love as they tie the knot with complete strangers.

Based on the Danish series of the same name, the reality TV series matches couples based on scientific and sociological factors, with participants meeting their future spouses for the first time on their wedding day.

At this point, the couples have now been through their wedding days and honeymoons and are settling into married life. You can read more here about the 2022 couples.

One contestant in particular, Whitney Hughes, has already garnered a lot of fan backlash for her behaviour and treatment of her partner, Duka Cav, who moved to England from Yugoslavia at age 10.

So, who is Whitney Hughes and why are fans unhappy with her? Below is everything we know about the 31-year-old legal personal assistant from St Albans.

Whitney and Duka first met on their wedding day, and it’s safe to say it was not love at first sight for the PA.

“I wanted a man who’s a man that’s towering over me, like massive, like a brick house. Compared to a house, maybe he’s a shed,” she said of the 31-year-old recruitment HR coordinator. “But there’s no patches in his beard, so I’m not going to knock his beard.

Whitney added: “I’m in between maybe saying the vows, or maybe just like run. This is the worst thing I’ve ever done in my f***ing life.”

Whitney and Duka (Channel 4)

While she was initially ready to run, the couple later connected when Whitney opened up about the recent death of her mother.

Whitney lost her mother, 55, in a tragic car accident in 2019. Following her death, Whitney campaigned for increased road safety in Hertfordshire, creating a petition called Make Redbourn Road Safe.

The show’s producers issued a statement saying: “Her mum was her best friend, and though she had a strict upbringing, she’s proud it made her the strong and independent woman she is now.”

Whitney previously said that she wanted a man who was perfect and would tick all the right boxes for her.

As for her past relationships, she’s said she’s never found anybody “good enough” to bring home to her family.

She admitted that she has “such high expectations for her potential partner” and worries she’ll “never actually let anyone in”.

Whitney’s social media presence remains fairly sparse. She seems to only have an Instagram account where she mostly posts photos of her travel experiences and a handful of tributes to her mum.

Married at First Sight airs Mondays through Thursdays at 9pm on E4.