THE only Irish contestant in this year’s series of The Traitors has admitted she “applied on a whim” and never expected to get selected for the show.
Anna, 28, who hails from Wicklow, is one of 25 constants on the third series of the BBC One show, which returned to our screens last night.
The swimming teacher will now battle it out with her fellow contestants in the reality tv series set in the Scottish Highlands in the hope of winning a prize pot of up to £120,000.
Anna from Wicklow is the only Irish contestant in series three of The Traitors UK which kicked off this weekThis week she revealed why she wanted to take part…
Why did you apply to be on The Traitors?
This is absolutely not something that I normally do! I initially watched The Traitors by accident, my housemates turned it on while I was waiting for my dinner to cook. Then I binge-watched nearly the whole thing in three days, I was obsessed.
It’s the only TV show I've thought I’d be good at that! I've got a brain that can compartmentalise things and I can be quite personable. I think a lot of it does depend on your ability to control your emotions in that environment and your ability to get people on your side, which are two things that I think I have a bit of a skill for.
I applied on a whim while my boyfriend was watching football. I just filled in the form, didn't think anything of it. I cannot believe that I got chosen.
What do you think you'll bring to the game?
I'm a big talker. Sometimes if someone asks me a question, I will go on such a tangent that I have forgotten what the question was, but so will they! I think I have the gift of the gab. I might talk myself into a situation, then hopefully out of a situation and then everyone's going to forget what the situation was in the first place!
What did you think of the previous series?
I was obsessed. It's so fast paced, which I really need from a TV show. I love that there are so many games within the game. It’s like mental gymnastics; you're trying to think about getting close to people but not getting too close because you don't want to look like you're forming an alliance. I just think it will be so fun, it's not only fun if you're a Traitor. I think there's a specific way you have to play as a Faithful and that also seems like a bit of craic too. They both seem like a total challenge.
Was there anyone’s game plan you admired?
Obviously, Harry played the perfect game. I really admired his game plan, but I don't think we're similar personalities so I don't think it would work for me. I think your game plan has to suit your personality type. I’m thinking of Andrea from series one, not that we have super similar personalities, but I really admired her reaction when she was brought up at the Round Table. I think she was really good at containing emotions.
Do you have a game plan?
I have a bit of a game plan but it's hard to say whether it will work or not. I do think the Faithfuls have to work together, but at the end of the day, if I’m a Faithful and figure out who a Traitor is I don't have to pull them up straight away. I think a good game plan is to figure out who the Traitor is and become good friends with them, that would help get you to the end.
I think if I'm getting pulled up at the Round Table, my style will hopefully be not getting super annoyed or emotional. I want to keep calm, and I think that normally works better. I also think if I was a Traitor I would have to play the exact same style.
What are you like playing games with friends and family?
I love a game of charades or board games and things like that. It’s totally when my competitive side comes out. I do play a lot of those with my family and my friends, we’re quite into those!
Do you think you’ll be good at the Missions?
I'm really, really excited for the Missions. They're one of the main reasons I wanted to go on the show. Saying that, I don't think I'm going to be the person that's winning us all the money! I think I'm going to be a real big team player and I'm definitely going to be cheering everyone on and throwing myself into it. The ones that really worry me are the problem-solving Missions. I’m thinking don't make me do maths in my head on telly! I loved the ones where they got buried alive, or they’re at a carnival, all those ones I think look so gas.
If you are a Traitor, how do you think you'll feel?
When I did the first half of the casting process I said: ‘I absolutely don’t want to be a Traitor, I really want to be a Faithful.’ The reason that I applied for the show is I want to play, and I don't want the anxiety of carrying the secret to stop me playing the game, having fun and making connections.
Now I think no matter what happens, I'm going to be stressed, I'm going to be under pressure and feeling guilty so I might as well be a Traitor! I think if I got a tap on the shoulder, the first feeling would probably be dread, but I'd try to take it on! It's kill or be killed, so I may as well be not getting murdered at night.
The Traitors is on BBC OneWould you say you’ve got a good poker face?
I think it totally depends on the situation. If it's withholding a secret from my friends, I'm not great, but when I'm in the zone I'm really good at lying. When there's so much on the line, I’ll hopefully have a good poker face!
If you are a Traitor, how far are you prepared to go to win the game?
I’ve thought the least about actually winning the game, I’ve thought the most about just getting to the next round. If I get to seven days, I'll be happy and then I'll go from there.
At the end of the day, we've all come there to play it so you can't feel too bad if you betray someone. It’s going to happen to you otherwise, but I am a bit of an empath so I worry I can’t go that far...
How good are you at spotting a liar?
I’m a teacher so I spend a lot of time with kids, and I think one thing about hanging around them is they're really unfiltered versions of adults, so it’s more obvious when they lie.
Adults do similar things but just less obviously, so I think I'm good at spotting little signs. Like when watching The Traitors and an actual Traitor is being questioned, they can't stop drinking their water or fiddling because they're so anxious.
They've got all this nervous energy. I think kids do that a lot, too. So, I think I’m pretty good at spotting a liar.
What qualities do you think you're going to need to make it through to the final?
I really think a personality that people enjoy being around can get you quite far. I think that happened a lot with Wilf in season one where he was suspected only a couple of times.
I think getting involved in the missions, I think you must be a good friend to people, because everyone is going to be so all over the place in there.
I think it’s the best if you’re authentic and make real connections...And be a bit of craic!
If you win the prize money, what do you think you'll spend it on?
I’ve thought about what I would spend it on. I went to college twice, my first degree was media, but my second degree was pattern drafting to be a seamstress.
I’m passionate about sustainable fashion and would love to set up a sustainable fashion line that's slightly more affordable for young women.
I really admire some UK brands but they’re harder to get in Ireland, so I'd love to do an Irish line.
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