Meryl Williams, who won the first season of The Traitors in 2022, has been forced to hide in a train toilet to escape a group of abusive teenagers.
Williams, who has achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism, has spoken openly about her experience of living with the condition in the past, and she took to TikTok yesterday (January 13) to discuss the moment when four teenagers sat opposite her on a train started giving her abuse.
She said: “Living with this condition is something that you can’t hide. People see you straight away; they notice you straight away, you’re just an easy target.
“I got on the train, they sat opposite me because I’m sitting on the seats with tables, and so far they’ve said that I need a stepladder to get on the train, I’m a midget, they’ve watched dwarf throwing, they’ve taken videos of me, they’ve taken photos of me, they said I’ve got sausage fingers, and they’ve laughed at me.”
The side you don’t see #dwarfismawareness
♬ original sound – Meryl Williams
She explained that when she looked up, they’d “stick their tongue out” and laugh in her face, adding: “This is all in the space of 10 minutes. I’m on my own right now. Everyone around me has witnessed this, heard this, and no one’s said anything. I don’t know what to do.
“So I thought, I know they’re getting off at Durham, and they got on at Newcastle, so if you know these people, let me know, four teenagers… so I’m gonna wait in the toilet until the Durham stop, then I’ll go out.”
Sharing that she felt “really fucking shit” after the incident, she finished with a plea to fans: “If you ever see someone that’s different or with a disability, just please be kinder to them.
“I never used to travel to London on my own; I used to only ever drive for this exact reason: because I felt safe in my car, I was protected, no one could see me, no one could laugh at me, no one could make fun of me… And I’ve recently got the confidence to start going on the train.”
Williams, whose TikTok post was met with an outpouring of support from friends and fans, won the inaugural season of The Traitors alongside Hannah Byczkowski and Aaron Evans after the trio of Faithfuls were able to oust all of the Traitors, sharing the £101,050 prize pot.
‘The Traitors’ season one winners Aaron, Meryl and Hannah with host Claudia Winkleman. CREDIT: BBC
The third season premiered on New Year’s Day, with the finale set to arrive on Friday, January 24. Some aspects of the current season have divided fans, including a contestant from London and now living in Hampshire putting on a fake Welsh accent in a bid to seem more trustworthy.
Last week, other fans were left disappointed after one of the contestants left the game during a mission with a surprise twist. Three players who’d volunteered to sacrifice themselves returned, and were suspended in cages as the other players tried to find golden coins to get them done. However, only two of the three returning players could enter the game, so one had to leave the show.
The Traitors is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, and continues tomorrow (January 15) at 9pm on BBC One.
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