“I dropped charges I shouldn’t have” - Megan Barton-Hanson on ending relationship after ‘fearing for life’

Megan Barton-Hanson disclosed that she has walked away from an abusive relationship after a life-threatening incident left her feeling unsafe. The Love Island star shared an Instagram post on May 2 where she states, “I dropped charges I shouldn't have,” insight taken from her life where she chose to silence herself.

This is the 30-year-old's third experience of domestic violence, and she aims to speak up and support other people in similar situations as society is becoming more accepting.

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“Coercive control and emotional abuse”

While emotionally narrating, Megan chose not to use the term ex-partner; rather, she encapsulated that relationship as one governed by control, humiliating hierarchy, and total coercion. She argued that he exercised “coercive control and emotional abuse,” implying that he rendered her “worthless,” while systematically clawing away her confidence and independence.

“I was shamed for my work and silenced for my success,” she wrote on Instagram. “And like many others, I confused control for passion, and cruelty for love. I dropped charges I shouldn’t have.” — Megan Barton-Hanson, via Instagram

Megan also mentioned that she gave her partner monetary support up to the thousands, which he used for luxury hotels and escort services, adding insult to injury and deepening the psychological dread already inflicted by the relationship.

Her rage spiraled after wanting to go paddleboarding with two elder women, an activity that sparked anger and suspicion from him.

"It finally ended when I feared for my life simply because I wanted to go paddleboarding with two lovely older women while he was working,” she wrote. “That moment shook me to my core. I’d gone all the way to Scotland to prove my loyalty — and still, I was the enemy in his eyes.”

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A history of trauma: “He was acting literally psychotic”

Megan told Paul C. Brunson and his audience about abuse she’d survived herself in a December 2024 interview, which was not the first time she had revealed such details.

An especially severe case included a former partner who not just became physically abusive but also did so violently after a pregnancy termination that was not consensual, and which came as a result of a non-consensual act called ”“stealthing”—the removal of a condom without permission.

“We’re on a motorway, cars are speeding past at 70mph,” she recalled. “He gave me ten seconds to run. I thought, even if I try, it’s just going to anger him more because he's definitely going to catch me, so I just stood there frozen.” — Megan Barton-Hanson, interview with Paul C. Brunson

Upon her arrival at home, her ex broke into her parents’ house and attacked her father, strangled her mother, and then destroyed the rear window of their car with Megan inside.

“I thought he’d literally kill me, the way he was. He was acting literally psychotic,” she said.

The guy was eventually sent to jail for 6 weeks after a trial was held at the Crown Court, and Megan bravely gave evidence there.

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“There’s no excuse for violence. None.”

Megan now says that she is unwilling to rationalize the abuser’s behavior or to hold herself accountable.

“I’ve made excuses in the past, blaming my own high standards or strong will, but this time, I won’t. There’s no excuse for violence. None.” — Megan Barton-Hanson, via Instagram

In her post, she also mentioned the need to partner with organizations that address domestic violence and enable other women, should they be in the same situation, to find the courage to move away.