LGBTQ+ Traitors star says he wants to use prize money to marry his partner
Matthew is an LGBTQ+ contestant on The Traitors. (BBC)
As a new series of The Traitors gets underway, we decided to get to know more about LGBTQ+ contestant Matthew.
A whole new group of strangers have descended on the Traitors castle, hoping to weasel their way to victory. Divided into Faithfuls, who pray they don’t get murdered in their sleep, and Traitors, who plot sabotages, the show is a masterclass in lying through your teeth.
The Celebrity Traitors was a massive hit last year, with Alan Carr trumping the competition as an incredible Traitor and winning the show. Looking to hopefully follow in his footsteps and win is Matthew.
Who is Matthew on The Traitors?
Matthew, the first Northern Irish man to be on The Traitors, is a 35-year-old creative director who lives in Edinburgh.
Asked what he’ll bring to the show, Matthew notes he’s “really competitive.”
“I’ve played a lot of sports in my life and I love games, so I’m going to play to win. I’m not over emotional and I really want to be a Traitor as I think that I can stay true to my own values whilst still playing the game.”
Matthew also continued: “I’m a good person, and in normal life, if I saw someone in trouble on the street, I would be the first person that would step in to help them.”
“However, this is a game and I’m very capable of compartmentalising, so if I must get rid of someone because that’s what the game’s saying, I won’t think twice about it, I’ll just do it.”
Is Matthew a Traitor or a Faithful?
So we don’t spoil the show, you’ll have to tune in to see is Matthew is a Traitor or a Faithful. However, he has revealed his game plan for each possibility.
Asked how he’d feel if he was a Traitor, Matthew said he’s be “really excited. I think if I’m not a Traitor, I might be getting mouthy.”
He also added: “I can’t express this enough because I am quite moral and I want to do the right thing, but this is a game, and so the moral dilemma that I see people face, I don’t quite get because there’s no morality in this at all. We all know that we’re entering a game.”
On the other hand, his game plan as a Faithful is a dangerous one. “I’ll maybe try and figure out who I think is a Traitor and just get close to them,” he mused.
Is Matthew on The Traitors gay?
Matthew has shared that he is part of the LGBTQ+ community. Previously, there have been a number of queer contestants on the show.
On season one of the UK version of the show, there were Theo Mayne and Andrea Addison. Season two saw Miles Asteri compete as a recruited Traitor. In season three, Leanne Quigley won the show and shared she’d use the prize money to fund IVF with her fiancé, Sophie.
When asked what he’d use the prize money on, Matthew shared that he wants to marry his partner.
“Me and my partner got engaged during COVID, and I had campaigned for marriage equality in Northern Ireland,” he explained.
In Northern Ireland, same sex marriage wasn’t legalised until 2020. “I didn’t think that I wanted to get married, but now I feel like I do,” Matthew also added.
“So having campaigned for marriage equality in Northern Ireland, I think that’s a better story for the last Round Table if I get there because it’s not cool to go against the gay who wants to get married!
“I think that I would probably say that I’m going to get married back home in Northern Ireland on my family farm. And then if I win, I might just have to do that.”
The Traitors returned to BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 8pm on 1 January.
Episode two airs at 8pm on Friday (2 January) and episode three airs at 7.45pm on Saturday (3 January)
