DIVA spoke to everyone’s favourite Faithful about how going on the BBC hit show changed her life
BY ELLA GAUCI
If you’re susceptible to paranoia, you should probably avoid applying to BBC’s The Traitors. Claudia Winkleman is once again back on our screens for the second season of the iconic reality TV show.
The premise of The Traitors is fairly simple. 22 contestants are taken to the Scottish Highlands, hoping to share a prize of £120,000. However, Claudia (and her iconic fringe) has one pivotal twist. Some of the contestants will be chosen as “Traitors”, giving them the power to “murder” the “Faithful” contestants in the night in order to bring themselves closer to the cash prize. It’s up to the Faithfuls to figure out who the Traitors are before they find themselves “killed” in their sleep.
Fans of season one watched behind fingertips as the tense thriller show progressed, showing how the contestants soon turned on each other.
One of the most iconic contestants – the ever-faithful Fay Greaves – made it all the way to episode 10 before she was “murdered” by the remaining Traitors. The ex-national League basketball player quickly became a fan favourite for her authenticity and humour.
As we make our way into season two of The Traitors, DIVA sat down with Fay to talk about how being on the show changed her life.
Before you went on the show did you know how big it would be?
No! Honestly it was just as much of a surprise to us as it was to the nation.
What made you sign up for The Traitors in the first place?
I turned 60 last year, and I’d been working in education for 30 years. I just thought to myself: What am I going to do? I wasn’t ready to retire, but I wanted to do something different. The rest is history!
On those first few days when you were adjusting to the show, what was your game plan?
You don’t have one. Day by day everything is different. You lose people you’re close to. You have no connection to the outside world whatsoever. It’s just us and them. When you lose people when they’re banished or murdered, it’s a real blow. You form these relationships very quickly.
What was it like during the Roundtable scenes?
The Roundtable is probably the most intense time out of all of the show. Most reality TV shows that have a voting system let the contestants go to a private booth to say what they want. Here, you have to tell people right up close and personal. It’s scary. Especially when the finger is being pointed at yourself.
The people who have to work the hardest at the Roundtable are the Traitors.
What advice would you give to future Faithfuls on the show?
Be yourself. Go in there and be you. If you’re you, there’s no way you can trip up. Be observant. Listen carefully to what people say.
What did it feel like to know that people who you considered friends were actually Traitors?
Devastating. Alyssa was the first one and I just couldn’t believe it. One evening at the Roundtable I was really sticking up for her. I was even more shocked when I found out Amanda was a traitor.
Do you feel like your basketball background helped you to be a team player?
Definitely. To be a team player you need to be inquisitive. But what that can do is make people think you’re controlling. I described myself as being like a point guard in basketball. The truth is you are controlling, just as you would be in a basketball game. If you don’t control the game, you lose the match!
When you watched it back, was it obvious who was a Traitor?
Yes! Wilf was as guilty as hell sitting there at the Roundtable. It was almost like he had a sign saying “I’m a Traitor”.
How did going on the show change your life?
I was on the DIVA 100 Power List! That was amazing. There I was with 100 powerful people. It was a surreal moment for me. I used to be a subscriber of DIVA 30 years ago. I remember the way the magazine would come in the post. To be on the DIVA 100 Power List with people like Dame Kelly Holmes and k.d.lang was incredible.
I’ve also got into my charity work as well. I’ve become an ambassador of the NSPCC and Ripple Suicide Prevention.
The Traitors gained such a big LGBTQIA following, why do you think that is?
There were some really powerful women on the show! You had people like Amanda who is the queen.
When I went on the show I didn’t go in as “openly gay” because I was working in a school where everything had to be suppressed sadly. As I was Head of Welfare it wouldn’t have been fair to tell the world something that the students didn’t know. Saying it on national television wasn’t the forum to do that.
I went in there just as Fay. Once I had left education, I felt like I could be me. I didn’t owe anybody anything. I’m now very happy for people to see my wife on Instagram.
What did your wife think when you watched it together?
Michelle [Fay’s wife] was watching it behind a pillow the whole time. She couldn’t cope with it! She said watching it was the most painful thing. She had to watch me do some of those activities like getting buried.
What other reality shows would you want to be on?
I loved the new series of Big Brother. I also love the series The Mole. Anything unscripted. I wouldn’t want to do Strictly – too much pressure!
If you could describe your time on The Traitors in three words, what would they be?
Experiential. Adventure. Fun.
Fay hosts the YouTube series The Uncut Show which brings celebrities and entrepreneurs together to talk about their experiences and knowledge. You can watch the show here: https://www.youtube.com/@The-uncut-show
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