Andrew
Age: 45
Job title: Insurance Broker
Location: Talbot Green

Why did you apply to be on The Traitors?

I loved last year’s show, I was really immersed in it and just loved the format. I like the game play and thought I could be good at it. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been going through a personal growth journey where I’ve been trying to learn a lot about myself – I’ve grown a lot. I want to step out of my comfort zone. I’ve been a Steady Eddy all my life I suppose, never taking any risks or challenges.

You only have one life, and I know that more than anyone because I suffered a serious accident many years ago. Your life is short, and it can get taken away at any moment. I live my life as best I can and take as many opportunities as possible that come my way. I never thought I’d get on the show in a million years. I’d like to inspire thousands of people out there who’ve maybe had a traumatic experience or suffered with their mental health. I want to inspire people and give them hope. To tell them that if you keep fighting and believing you will get to your dreams.

What did you think of the first series? Was there anyone’s game plan you admired?

I’m not being biased but of course I like the Welsh, so I’d have to say Amanda. I liked Amanda’s character and she was quite ruthless. Also Wilfred was great, he was very good from the off. He was a fantastic Traitor from day one right to the very end. There were loads of great people but those two stood out a lot for me.

What do you think you’ll bring to the game?

I’ve got a larger-than-life personality, and a lot of people say to me “Once seen, never forgotten.” I’m a big guy and I obviously have my scars, so I think people look at me and think I’m quite intimidating until I smile and start talking to people. I’m an approachable, down to earth guy. I’m very level-headed, passionate and competitive – this is due to my sporty background. I like to win but I’m also empathetic and understanding. I like helping other people too, so I think I’ll be good in the castle for the contestants who are struggling or getting a bit stressed. I think I’m good at keeping calm in a busy environment from my security days.

Do you have a game plan?

I sort of have a game plan. After watching the contestants last year, I think you’ve got to have a game plan going in there, but I do like to adapt to the situation in front of me. I have worked in close protection security, so I looked after a lot of VIPs in London. This meant I had to be on my toes, be alert, and be able to adapt at the drop of a hat. So yes, I do think you’ve got to have some form of game plan when you go in, but I think you’ve got to be able to change that as the game develops.

Do you think you’ll be good at the missions and what strengths do you think you might bring to them?

I am looking forward to the missions. I mean, I’m a competitive guy, I’m physically fit, I’m good at solving puzzles and I’m really excited about the challenges.

If you are a Traitor, how do you think you’ll feel?

I’ll be fine. I think I’d be good at both roles. As a Traitor you have to take the emotion out of the situation and allow yourself not to get too close to people. I’ve got a motivating factor, a drive and that’s my family and to make a better life for them and myself, that’s what I’ll always come back to. We’re only there to play a game at the end of the day, we’re not there to make friends. Even though we will make some lifelong friends, at the end of the day we’re all in there to win money. I’m good at switching off my emotions which is good for a Traitor, in the back of my mind I’ll always be thinking about what’s driving me and my motivation. Also, I don’t crack under pressure, and I don’t give anything away.

Would you say you’ve got a good poker face?

Yes. When I’m playing a game, it’s unfortunate but I’m quite a good liar! It’s not a very good thing to say, I know, but it might come in handy.

If you are a Traitor, how far are you prepared to go to win the game?

I’ll do whatever it takes, within reason. I don’t mind throwing people under the bus, it’s me or them at the end of the day. I’ll just think of my family, my son, I want to make them proud and I want a better life for them. I’m a nice person deep down and when my family are watching on the TV, they will know the real me. They know me, they know my morals and that I’m a nice person. On The Traitors, you’re just playing a game, a game that you have to get totally immersed in.

If you’re a Faithful, what do you think your game plan would be?

I’ll just get close. I’m very good at getting people to open up to me. For many, many years I’ve had lots of people tell me things, secrets that they haven’t told their family, friends or parents. People say that I make them feel comfortable, so they open up to me. In every job I’ve ever had, in the bank, in the insurance world, I’m like the agony aunt. I always give everybody exactly the same respect, I treat everybody exactly the same way whether they’ve got a million pounds or nothing at all. So, I’ll get close to people and I think I’ll form relationships, get talking to people, ask lots of probing open questions. I’ll be very good at watching and reading people, just looking for little mistakes that they might make and finding out who the Traitors are.

How good are you at spotting a liar?

I think I am quite good! Personally, I’ve had quite a few people lie to me over the years. People in work who I’ve caught out lots of times and always been right. I’d rather people be open and honest to me, but I’m still quite good at spotting liars, I think.

If you win the prize money, what do you think you’ll spend it on?

I’d pay off a couple of debts and the usual boring stuff. But my dream is that I’d love to help people. I would like to set up some form of business. I love the gym, I love coaching, I love physical stuff. The gym is my safe haven. It’s been my happy place for the last 20 odd years. I’d like to do something like personal training but also help people with their mental health. My NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) qualification means I’ll be a qualified coach. I want to try and intertwine the two, look after people’s physical health and mental health together. I’d love to get out of bed in the morning and change people’s lives.

I believe I have an inspiring story; I was pronounced dead on the side of the road 23 years ago and I was in a coma for nearly five weeks. My parents were told I’d never walk ever again, I had brain damage and that there’s a chance of me not waking up from my coma. My parents were told that if I did wake up, I’d never walk, talk or use my arms again and I may not recognise them. They were told to prepare for the worst. There’s lots of things that happened to me, and the doctors call me a miracle patient.

I met the man who saved my life last year. I met him and I shook his hand and said thank you for saving my life. There are not many people out there who get a chance to see somebody who saved their life and say thank you. It was a very emotional thing.

I’ve had hundreds of people messaging me to say that they found my story inspiring and that’s led them to open up and start talking to their family. I want to inspire people, I believe I can inspire thousands and hopefully, with this exposure, millions of people. I think I’ve only just scratched the surface of this, and I want to continue that really.

In this nail-biting psychological reality competition, Claudia Winkleman greets 22 strangers as they arrive at a beautiful castle in the Scottish Highlands to play the ultimate game of detection, backstabbing and trust, in the hope of winning up to £120,000.

But hidden amongst them are the Traitors whose job is to secretly murder a player every night, without getting caught.

It’s up to the others, the Faithfuls, to try to detect who the traitors are, and banish them from the game, before they become their next victim.

For the lucky ones who survive to the end, they have the chance of winning that life-changing cash. But if a Traitor remains undetected, they’ll steal all the money.

The Traitors returns on Wednesday 3 January from 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer and episodes 2 and 3 will be available on iPlayer immediately after. The show will air on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights.