Axed Traitors star admits regret over 'out of control' paranoia on BBC show
One of the now former stars of the new series of The Traitors has admitted their regret over paranoia and feelings that she says spiralled 'out of control' while on the show.
Elen from Cardiff became the latest Faithful wrongfully banished from the game as she was unable to convince her fellow contestants she was not a Traitor. The 24-year-old, who works as a translator was tearful when pleading her case during the dramatic Round Table.
Elen also appeared on Lorraine on Friday morning (January 3) and admitted that she didn't watch the episode when it aired on BBC One as it was 'too emotional'.
Speaking after leaving the show, Elen has said that she felt paranoid ever since she was not chosen to be a Traitor, as she expected to feel the touch on the shoulder from host Claudia Winkleman. She said: "I think it was the right choice for me (being a Faithful). I don't think I would have coped as a Traitor at all but I genuinely thought I would be selected to be a Traitor. I anticipated that the Traitors this year were going to be girls, so I genuinely prepared myself to be selected. I hadn't prepared at all to be Faithful, and I think it shows."
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During the Round Table in the second episode, a number of contestants voted to banish Elen. They claimed that her 'intense emotional response' and behaviours that past day suggested to them that she was a Traitor.
Elen, who states that Welsh is her first language, says she often feels people underestimate her and opened up on those emotions. She said: "I wasn't as tough as I thought I would be. As soon as I knew I was a Faithful I was instantly paranoid. I was constantly stressing about what other people were thinking, what was going through everybody's heads. I was overthinking everything I did, every move I made, every word I said."
She goes on to say she struggled to separate her feelings in order to convince others she was not a Traitor, adding: "It’s so funny looking back, but I really felt the energy in the room. I felt people speaking about me, and I couldn't control it. I think because I wasn't coping with the paranoia, it just made me come across even more suspicious.
"It’s a very difficult game in that regard, to be able to separate your feelings. As soon as one person has a suspicion, especially that early on in the game, it kind of spirals out of control. You can't really do anything about it, and if you do one thing that might suggest you're a Traitor, there's no going back. You simply cannot change a person's mind and the more you try to, the more suspicious you come across."
Elen received the most votes and so was banished from the game. This was despite her best efforts of being one of the few who correctly voted for a Traitor in Linda. Revealing her Faithful status to the group before her exit, she said: "Rwy'n ffyddlon. I am a Faithful." However, Elen says she trusts the universe and is grateful for her experience even if it only lasted a few days.
Asked if she would have done anything differently in terms of a game plan, Elen said: "I would have spent more time preparing myself for both outcomes. I hadn’t given being a Faithful much thought. Oh, I regret that! I also really regret not telling people more clearly who I thought the Traitors were, because I was right."
The Traitors continues tonight at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer
