The Traitors star Jessie has shared that she has received a deluge of messages from people with a stammer.
The BBC reality series dealt a devastating blow to viewers last week after fan-favourite Faithful Jessie was murdered by Traitors Rachel and Stephen in their conniving next move to make it to the final.
Upon joining the series, the hairstylist from Hull shared that part of her motivation to join the show was to prove that she shouldn’t be underestimated.
‘I feel like people will underestimate me just because of how I am and how I look with my orange hair and because I have a stammer. People might think that I don’t have it in me to be brutal, but I do,’ she said.
Now, she is serving as an inspiration for countless across the country who also have a stammer and rarely see representation of their disability on screen, let alone one of the biggest shows in Britain.
She tells Metro: I’ve had a lot of people reach out who have stammers. I’ve had parents who have kids who have stammers reach out, and it helps, because I didn’t really know any people like me when I was younger.
‘Stammering isn’t represented much, and it does help to get it out there on a big show because it does make it more normal, and I hope that it will make people more accepting of it.’
There’s no doubt her presence on the series has already started to make a difference, as UK charity Stamma shared with us.
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Kirsten Howells, Deputy CEO and Director of Services, explained that not only was it encouraging to see her on the show, but it was just as wonderful to see her ‘fully involved’ in the game.
‘It was also great to see how she brilliantly highlighted that having to say your name as a person who stammers can be hugely challenging, from the very first time we saw her on screen.
Many people who don’t stammer might not be aware of this, so the fact it’s being talked about on a show watched by millions of people can really help raise awareness,’ Kristen explained.
What is a stammer?
According to the NHS website:
Stammering is when:
- you repeat sounds or syllables – for example, saying “mu-mu-mu-mummy”
- you make sounds longer – for example, “mmmmmmummy”
- a word gets stuck or does not come out at all
Stammering varies in severity from person to person, and from situation to situation. Someone might have periods of stammering followed by times when they speak relatively fluently.
You can read more, and discover where to find support, here.
Although Jessie’s journey on the show has come to an end, Kristen praised her for ‘managing to not only play a fantastic game, but also represent the stammering community and make a difference for thousands of people across the UK.’
It was a sentiment echoed by the leading organisation, Action for Stammering Children, who have been ‘overwhelmed’ by the response.
‘Seeing someone who stammers on national television is such an important way to show young people that stammering is just a part of them – it doesn’t define them or need to hold them back.
‘Thanks to Jessie’s openness, so many people are talking and learning about stammering,’ they shared in a statement praising this method of ‘improving understanding and challenging the stigma’.
They conclude: ‘Jessie has been an inspiration to the young people we work with and we’re very grateful to her for sharing her experiences to empower so many others.’
Beyond her vital community work, Jessie also made a name for herself as a sharp-eyed Traitor hunter, who astutely figured out Stephen was a Traitor, even if she didn’t manage to get the others on board with her theory.
She understands why she struggled, however.
‘All of us just loved Stephen a lot, which is hard, because you really build bonds. I do get why people didn’t kind of hop on my horse for Stephen, because he is just a really nice person, which did make it hard [whenever] I went at him because it is all out of love.
‘It is part of [the game] that all of us have to out each other, which is hard,’ she shared.
Although she thinks any of the remaining finalists have ‘earned’ their victory, she did confirm that upon leaving the cast, she did ‘not doubt Rachel at all’.
As for whether they could still recruit Matthew to the hooded brigade, she adds: ‘Both of them are really good as a team, and it would probably help to not have him, but I guess it would help to bring him in just to boot him out just to give the Faithfuls [a win], maybe.’
And in a cohort populated with detectives, barristers ad psychologists, she remains proud of showing that anyone and everyone is capable of excellent deduction, no matter their job.
‘Jobs help, but it really doesn’t matter who [you are], all of us are capable,’ she reflects.
Has she considered a career pivot to being a detective, I ask.
‘Yes, I have, I’m hoping I might have offers ot be a detective, you never know,’ she jokes. Well, we’re behind her all the way!
The Traitors returns on BBC One at 8pm on Wednesday.
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