‘I was a Traitor - it was brutal and a cruel twist floored me'
The Traitors is back on our TV screens after the first series in 2022 left the whole country captivated. The BBC One show returns on 1 January with a third series, which will no doubt have viewers gripped once again. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, The Traitors 'murder' The Faithfuls who they believe are a threat to them in a bid to steal the £120,000 prize pot earned from the daily team missions.
Every evening, the whole group has a round table discussion where they vote to 'banish' who they think is a Traitor, and the participant who is chosen reveals if they are Traitor or Faithful. Kieran Tompsett, 44, was a Faithful in the first series and was banished at the start with Amos after the 22 contestants were asked to order themselves from most to least likely to win and they put themselves at the end of the line. But both had to return when the series was in full swing, which he admits was hard.
In an exclusive chat with OK! he revealed why being recruited as a Traitor by Wilfred Webster in one of the final episodes of the programme to try and take all the £101,050 prize money for themselves was just as tough. He told OK!: “I didn’t enjoy being a Traitor and it was a cruel twist that was hard to deal with at the end of the game and when I was given an ultimatum it was horrible for me."
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Kieran went on: “I was torn between what to do but I went with my gut and walked off which was horrible but I had one of the best experiences of my life so I’m very grateful. I had mixed feelings when I went out because I had a good game plan. I don’t know if I'd have won or got to the end but I would have been very proud to get to the final as a Faithful."
Despite having to leave the series so close to the final, Kieran insisted he doesn't have any regrets about his time on the show. He said: “I would like to have won but I wouldn’t change anything about it. However, I do think that if I went back and had the opportunity to play again I would be very different and more clinical and I'd try my best to stick to my plan because we all got quite emotionally attached in my year."
Kieran revealed he enjoyed watching the second series of The Traitors, despite his experience on the BBC show. As the second series launched in 2024, he told OK!: "I messaged all the cast and showed my support on social media. Just to get on the show this year is a massive achievement and there are some great characters in there this year."
The new series of The Traitors airs on 1 January at 9pm on BBC One.
