BBC The Traitors: ‘I was murdered for the right reasons’ says The Traitors star from Yorkshire who describes her experience on the show as ‘traumatic’

Hull entrepreneur Claire Barratt, 43, said: “I've been a mum since I was 19, my life has been pretty much parenting and work.

“I didn’t have as many experiences as other people and my late grandfather always said I belonged on TV.”

But with three sons and one daughter all at home with her alongside setting up her own successful business, Claireabella - a former police officer - struggled to find time for herself.

“So when the opportunity came along to take part in a game show, I thought I am going to do something for me, just me with a game and not go in with a game plan. It felt liberating,” said Claire.

The Traitors has been hailed as the greatest television show ever in UK history by fans.

The show pushes contestants to the limits of paranoia as they have to find The Traitors, who are killing off people each night.

However, the non-Traitors - known as Faithfuls - have little or nothing to go on as they try to save their skin.

Claire said: “On the show I was a faithful thankfully as I wanted to experience the show as just myself and being a traitor would not have made that possible.

“A lot of people had game plans, some to befriend and some to betray.

“I just didn't tell anyone I was ex police.”

For Claire the experience in a castle in Scotland was more about having some time away from her hectic family life in which she also runs a successful global business from her kitchen table while tending to her four-year-old.

“It was about pushing myself, enjoying the experience and living for myself.

“It was just liberating to focus on a game without distractions,” said Claire who couldn’t tell her children what she was doing on TV until they saw her on their screens many months later.

Claire - who has built a personal tiktok following of over one million followers for her parenting videos - said that as soon as she entered the castle it was isolating and intense.

Claire who runs a personalised accessory company Claireabella where customers have their own hand drawn character, with a team of 30 working for her business HQ in Stockport, has worked from home in East Yorkshire since working for Humberside Police as part of a team.

Claire said it can be quite lonely running a business from home so she was also hoping to find some camaraderie on the show.

Claire said: “You quickly develop friendships but it’s hard because you don’t know who you can trust. You’d question yourself, is this friendship even real? You don’t know if you’re going down to breakfast in the morning.”

She quickly became the “young auntie” to some of the younger contestants who “warmed to her.”

It was Claire’s popularity and inquisitive mind that ended up being her downfall when she was murdered by traitors in episode three.

“I was too liked. I was a threat because I was picking things up. I’m quite switched on. It was quite a lot to take in.”

Claire said she had fun on the show but it was traumatic at the same time.

“It was sad to be murdered, you don’t get to say bye to anyone so you get taken away but you can’t put a price on an experience”, she added.

Claire said that when she returned home after being “murdered” on the show, she struggled.

“I was exhausted mentally and physically for three weeks”, she said.

But once the show finished filming last year the cast stayed in touch via a whatsapp group and meet-ups since, but several agreed it felt traumatic watching it back.

“It was traumatic watching it back, it takes you right back to those feelings.”

Claire said she felt a sense of relief as she discovered she was murdered for being a threat.

“My murder was the most controversial”, she said.

Despite being “killed off” in the third episode, her proud children aged 24, 19, daughter 17 and four were all proud of their mother and kept watching.

While Claire has her sights on more TV opportunities, she has been organically growing her social media following from home while running her business and caring for her children.