Fans of Channel 4’s Seven Year Switch were left appalled as it was revealed one of the husbands, George, called his wife a “slag”.
Viewers took to social media to brand him a “bully” and a “disgusting chauvinistic man-child”.
And one even suggested he had arrived from the 1950s in a time machine but was yet to adapt to the modern world.
In Tuesday’s instalment of the Wife Swap-style show, George, who refuses to do any housework, was played a video of long-suffering partner Michelle who said his derogatory comments were disrespectful.
But defiant George insisted he was just being “encouraging” and that Michelle, not him, was the selfish one in the relationship.
Michelle said in the recorded message: “I would love for his work ethic to be his home ethic too because he gives everything when he goes to work but he gives nothing when he gets home.
“He expects 10 times more from me than I could physically do in a day.
“It’s a belittling thing and it’s horrible and ungrateful. I think it’s a complete lack of respect for your spouse to speak to them like that.
“I wouldn’t speak to him like that. He called me a slag the other day.”
George insisted: “I only try to encourage and I only try to push people in a positive way.”
Rachel, who has been partnered with George on the show, told him she was taken aback that his instant reaction was to defend himself rather than accept the criticism.
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Yet in his own video message to his wife, George said: “Michelle is the kind of person that doesn’t really take well to criticism at all.
“My time is precious. I don’t get a lot of spare time, so the spare time I do get I try to use it well.
“So that’s why I get really frustrated when Michelle doesn’t organise her day properly.
“I want her to understand that we’re a team. I hope she realises it’s not just me.”
After watching his message, Michelle said: “Everything in that video was selfish.
“He never does any cooking. He doesn’t clean. I’m the one who tries to be a team player and hold it together.”
#sevenyearswitch #7yearswitch George calling your wife a slag isn’t encouraging it’s bullying
— Alicia (@CurlsACB) March 13, 2018
Michelle needs to leave George asap #7yearswitch
— Lewis🙊 (@mullerliciouss) March 13, 2018
I can’t believe men like George still exist. How backwards and deluded are you pal? Go read a book and educate yourself mate, preferably a thesaurus so you can call your wife something a little less derogatory #7yearswitch
— Rachael L Barnes (@rachael_miss) March 13, 2018
Oh Michelle, you can do so much better than George #7yearswitch #sevenyearswitch
— Claire bella (@whitestofurwave) March 13, 2018
#7yearswitch jesus that George is actually a disgusting human being and deserves to be alone forever.
— Jenny Williams (@j_e_n_williams) March 13, 2018
George is only calling his wife a slag out of encouragement…. eh????????#7YearSwitch
— Emma Hutchinson (@Mamahutch74) March 13, 2018
ARGH George is a disgusting chauvinistic man-child 😦 😡 #7yearswitch
— Tiss (@floydrave) March 13, 2018
#7yearswitch I have a gut feeling George used a time machine and came from the 1950’s and haven’t adopted to the modern world yet
— Gitte Bekker-Madsen (@BekkerGitte) March 13, 2018
Earlier, George admitted to Rachel: “There are certain things I won’t do. I won’t iron. I just don’t want to do it.”
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And despite Rachel offering to teach him, he said: “I’d prefer not to learn. It’s not being weird or anything.”
Rachel said afterwards: “That shocked me. I might struggle to live with somebody like that.”
* Seven Year Switch continues next Tuesday at 9.15pm on Channel 4.