Traitors' John McManus has insisted “I’m no bully”, after facing a backlash over his clash with co-star Aaron Evans on the show.
John, from Edinburgh, suffered a torrent of online abuse after viewers saw him arguing with Aaron on the reality show – where contestants staying in a Scottish castle had to identify “Traitors”.
But John insists the dispute with Aaron was overblown – and he would not have been so harsh with him if he had known he was suffering from the hyper-activity disorder ADHD.
John told the Daily Record: “When I watched the show and discovered he had ADHD, I felt absolutely devastated.
“The way it was edited shocked me. I’m not a bully, I’m a nice person, but in that pressure cooker environment, when you are filming between 10 and 16 hours a day and completely exhausted, you react accordingly.
“Had I known of his condition, I’d have reacted in a completely different way. I had suspicions Wilf and Aaron were Traitors.
“Aaron was the only person given permission to leave the Round Table, which wasn’t allowed in the rules, and that made me suspicious. None of us knew that was because he has ADHD, which he revealed to viewers in the diary room.
“It was none of my business but his condition meant he was hyper all the time. He would ask me the same questions over and over and over.
“The day I had words with him, he had asked me the same question at least six times and it started to grate on me.
“I didn’t realise it was just his inquisitive nature, instead I thought it was a sign he was a Traitor.”
John’s outburst brought a backlash against him on social media but he hopes viewers will understand the pressures the contestants were under.
He said: “It’s not real life, nobody really gets murdered or banished, but for a minority of viewers who invest in the show so much that they make alliances in their living room with their favourites, they lash out when they see them challenged.”
Presented by Claudia Winkleman, The Traitors became a TV smash hit in the weeks leading up to Christmas, with millions turning in.
It saw players known as Faithfuls working together to identify the unknown “Traitors” in their midst.
Contestants are eliminated either by being “murdered” by the Traitors or “banished” by their fellow players.
The winners – those left at the end of the show – can win up to £120,000. Aaron was among three winners to split the prize money alongside Scot Meryl Williams and Liverpudlian comedian Hannah Byczkowski.
Faithful John was “murdered” by the Traitors after they feared he was about to identify Wilf as one of the unknown villains.
“He played a blinder,” he said of Wilf. “It’s a really tough role to play, keeping that poker face throughout.”
The 50-year-old actor revealed he has remained in touch with everyone.
He added: “I absolutely loved it and it’s probably one of the best things I have ever done,” before confessing, “I would have loved to have been a Traitor, 100 per cent.”
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