The Traitors star Kieran Tompsett has addressed claims that he cheated in the final show after some viewers accused him of bending the rules.
During the final roundtable of the BBC’s hugely popular new reality show, Kieran dropped a huge clue as leading Faithfuls Aaron Evans, Meryl Williams and Hannah Byczkowski decided who to vote off.
Just days before, Traitor Wilf Webster recruited Kieran in a bid to help him steal the £101,050 jackpot.
Ultimately, Wilf planted the seed that Kieran was a Traitor ahead of the final roundtable, which led to Kieran gifting the Faithfuls with a “parting gift” when he unveiled Wilfred’s name on his board.
Some fans thought the move was outside the rules of the game and accused Kieran of “cheating” after it led to Hannah and Aaron sussing that Wilf was the final Traitor.
The BBC even issued a statement afterwards, insisting that Kieran did not breach any rules.
Addressing the cheating claims himself, Kieran told Metro.co.uk that he wouldn’t have got away with it if it had breached the show’s rules.
“I only decided I was going to plant a seed about Wilf’s true identity 30 minutes before the roundtable, and those words only came to me as I was sitting there,” Kieran said.
“I had to be really careful what I said within the parameters of the rules.
“It was like a grenade drop, and the rest was down to them. If they didn’t get it after that, then they were on their own.”
He continued: “If it was cheating, it would have been stopped there and then, it wouldn’t have made it to the cut six months after it was made.
“People say I broke the rules, there are only 22 players that have ever played the game The Traitors: we know the rules, we know the parameters and how they’re set.
“You can openly sit at that table like Wilf did and say it’s Amanda or Alyssa, I can stand up and say Wilf I think you’re a Traitor for XY reasons, I can say that.
“What you can’t do is go, I know Wilf’s a Traitor because I’m a Traitor. That’s breaching the code, so apart from that you can plant seeds.”
Kieran went on to insist that he and Wilf have remained close friends since the show’s dramatic final.
“He don’t hold a grudge, I don’t hold a grudge, but some people are having massive arguments about it, and me and Wilf are absolutely fine,” he said.
Meryl, Hannah and Aaron were eventually crowned the winners after they successfully managed to root out Traitors Kieran and Wilfred to win £101,050 in the high-stakes final episode.
After he was outed as a Traitor, Wilf said: “I literally just lost over a hundred grand to these three amazing people and I’m really, really happy that they are happy. The pressure is gone, the money is gone. It doesn’t matter, I’m happy. I’ve enjoyed my time.”
The Traitors is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.