Married At First Sight UK star April Banbury shares update following 'debilitating' diagnosis
April took to Instagram
Married At First Sight UK star April Banbury has opened up about her health after being diagnosed with an 'incurable' illness. In an emotional Instagram post, the 34-year-old revealed that she'd been admitted to hospital after experiencing numbness in her hip and leg.
Sharing a photo from her hospital bed, April, who was on MAFS UK in 2022, said: 'I promised I’d keep it real with you guys, so here it is. I’ve been in hospital for the past 4 days because just before I went to Jamaica I started getting a new pain in my back and my leg and hip went completely numb, with weakness in both legs.
'I gave it a couple of weeks to see if it eased up, but it didn’t, it only got worse. I promised myself I’d listen to my body when I first prolapsed my disc, so I took myself to get it checked out not imagining this would be the outcome.'
April then revealed that she's been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, according to the NHS, the condition can compress the nerves and spinal cord, which can cause pain in the lower back and legs, or in the neck, arms and hands.
Going on to open up about the impact that the condition has had on her life, April continued: 'I have spinal stenosis (there’s no cure for that, I was told I will have chronic pain for life) my nerves are deeply compressed, but they don’t know whats causing it, so I’m seeing a spinal specialist in a few weeks to investigate.
'In the mean time I’ve been given opioids (gonna have a great time 🤣) and may be give a nerve root injections because I can’t take opioids for the rest of my life 🤣
'It’s going to take sometime for me to process this could be my life now, but I still don’t want to give up hope that one I could be back to some what of a normal life. I just can’t imagine living life like this.
'The pain is indescribable and constant. I feel like I’m just existing day to day, and now I need a new purpose because life is not as I once knew it. It’s crazy because I feel too young to have such a debilitating injury, but it just shows what heavy lifting over a long period of time can cause.'
Going on to thank the doctors and nurses who have been taking care of her, April said: 'I’m going to be kind to myself and take each day as it comes, I’m going to as much as my body will allow me to do. Hopefully these meds will help so I can at least socialise a bit, because I love my house, but being in it 24/7 is not the one 🤣
'It’s a s--- situation, really s--- actually, but I have to accept it to an extent, and get on with it. I know I’ll have good days and bad days, but I’m honestly endlessly grateful for my friends and fam, the NHS and my osteopath. I know I’m not alone and I love my little back community and hearing your stories too.
'The doctors and nurses were honestly incredible. I actually felt emotional when I was discharged 🤣 So for now I’m going to wait for these meds to kick in and revisit things in a week. I will continue sharing my journey with all you🤍✨.' (sic)
This comes after April previously revealed that she'd suffered a prolapsed disc after lifting a heavy object in the wrong way, leaving her in pain. Discussing the injury, April told the MailOnline: "I literally just lifted something heavy in the wrong way and ended up like this.
"It was so unexpected and couldn't believe it could cause such a severe injury. My ability to live a normal life has been taken away from me and I am now classified as having a disability."
Take a look at some facts you may not know about Married At First Sight UK:
What really happens at the dinner parties?
The dinner party episodes of Married At First Sight UK are always a source of drama, but what happens behind the scenes? Speaking to The Tab, former bride Amy Christophers revealed that filming for the dinner parties can start as early as 8:30am, and sometimes filming doesn't end until 3am.
In order to add to the drama, Amy revealed that the couples are kept separate before entering the dinner party. She said: "You'll be sat waiting in room, and then they move you out of it, and into a different room. And slowly, you get closer and closer to the party - and you're staggered out so you don't see the other couples before you walk in, and you have no idea what order you're going in."
Are there limits on alcohol?
Many fans have wondered if the alcohol is free-flowing during the explosive dinner parties. Before they enter the party, the couples are allowed to drink as much as they would like to. However, after the mixer, they return to their individual rooms - not only to 'sober up', but to also give the show's crew a chance to set up the dinner party.
Are the arguments real?
Former groom Adrian Sanderson confirmed that the arguments we see on screen are in fact real. In an Instagram Q&A, he said: "People keep on saying that this is fake drama. It's not fake, they tried to keep it as authentic as possible. That's what they tried to separate us as much as possible and that's why problems happened when we went back to the apartment."
This was also echoed by 2022 bride Chanita Stephenson, who told OK! Magazine: "A lot of people think it's scripted but it definitely isn't. The dinner parties really are that dramatic. Sometimes, they tell you to talk about certain topics but never what to say, it was very real."
Who pays for the weddings?
The wedding episodes are a real highlight of the show, as the couples meet for the very first time at the altar. In terms of the cost of the wedding, the brides and grooms get a budget, as explained by Chanita. Speaking to OK! Magazine, she said: "You get a budget, everyone gets a budget, the brides and the grooms - the brides get more than the grooms - and from that, you have to find a wedding dress.
"Don't get me wrong, the budget's not the best and especially with the cost of wedding dresses, because they are so expensive so you do what you can, like I said, you have to go buy a wedding dress off the shelf.
"Within that budget, that includes your wedding dress and your bridesmaids. My bridesmaids got their own dresses and I put a bit towards it, but because the wedding dress is so expensive, it all goes on that."
Who plans the weddings?
Former MAFS UK bride Chanita explained that the couples know very little about the wedding, as it is planned for the couples. She said: "They do your hair and make-up for the wedding day and obviously they plan the whole wedding.
"It's quite difficult (to plan) because you're not allowed to know anything about your wedding day. The brides and the grooms get given a booklet each and you write down your preferences.
"So you put how you might want to have your hair, what bouquet you would like, what kind of interior you would like for the wedding and your flowers and stuff, and I think they compare you and your match and kind of go in between."
Do the brides and grooms get paid?
Many of us have often wondered if the MAFS UK cast get paid whilst on the show, and the answer is that they do get some money to cover their time on the show, but don't get paid.
An E4 spokesperson told Cosmopolitan UK: "Contributors do not get paid to appear on Married At First Sight but are provided with financial compensation for loss of earnings due to the time taken for filming."
Can the cast use their phones?
As with many TV shows, the MAFS UK brides and grooms don't always have access to their phones. Former bride Alexis Economou told Grazia that the contestants are given a production phone to enable them to speak to each other.
She said: "We were told that we'd have our phones until the morning of our wedding, but I think someone was in the car and found out who one of the husbands were, so production were worried that it would be leaked." Contestants are allowed to have their phones until they begin filming for the up-to-date episodes.
Do they really get married?
Many of us will be curious to know whether the marriages show on the show are actually official. A show synopsis on the Channel 4 website confirmed that they are, in fact, not legal weddings. It says: "Following the Australian format, rather than legal marriages, the couples will make a lifelong commitment to one another at a glamorous ceremony, overseen by a wedding celebrant, that includes guests, bridal gowns, dancing, speeches and cake."
However, the weddings seen in the first five series of Married At First Sight UK were in fact real.
Where are the apartments?
After meeting for the first time at their weddings and jetting off on an idyllic honeymoon together, the couples move in to an apartment together. But where are they based?
The 2023 apartments are situated in Wembley, North London, with all of the couples staying in the same block. The apartments boast a living space, bedroom and a balcony.
What is the application process like?
According to Closer, the application process is pretty intense. In order to ensure that perfect matches are found, candidates are put through workshops, background checks, interviews, tests and personality questionnaires.
In terms of putting themselves forward for the show, some of the brides and grooms apply, whilst others are scouted - often via social media. Out of the 2022 MAFS UK cast, only eight applied to be on the show.
Does it actually work?
There are a few Married At First Sight UK success stories, with some of the couples who have been paired together on the show staying together. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), show expert Paul C Brunson said: 'I've been on 3 previous #MAFSUK series. From those, 5 couples are still together, 2 babies have been born (including the first MAFS 🇬🇧 baby), and a third baby is on the way and due soon. For the record, I predict a baby will come from one of the couples in this series!'
2021 MAFS UK couple Tayah and Adam are now engaged and even welcomed their first child, Beau Emily Aveling, in October 2022! Zoe and Jenna from the 2022 series are still loved-up, marking their one-year anniversary in April 2023. Meanwhile, Owen and Michelle were matched on MAFS UK in 2020 and are still happily together, with the couple sharing the news that they are expecting their first baby in December 2023.
Who leaks stories to the press?
During the 2023 series, lots of stories from filming were leaked to the press before they'd aired on TV, leaving certain cast members and viewers very annoyed. 2023 contestant Luke Worley took to social media to express his anger at this, where he also revealed the cast are fined a huge £10,000 if they are caught leaking any stories.
Now read:
Which MAFS UK couples are still together after the show?
Married At First Sight Australia: Which couples are still together?
Filming for the 2024 series of MAFS UK has begun