Original Traitors star became film actor after show

A contestant from the first UK series of The Traitors has said the show transformed his life and helped launch his acting career.

Kieran Tompsett, 46, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, was recruited as a traitor towards the end of the 2022 series, he was banished during the final episode, but memorably hinted at the identity of the last remaining traitor as he left.

Tompsett said the experience prompted him to ask: "What else do I want to do now?" He then decided to attend Ashley Walters' Kingdom Drama School.

He said: "I've trained for a year and a half and I've done three or four films now, I've done some supporting artist work to get some experience on set."

Earlier this year he appeared in the He-Man film Masters of the Universe, and will appear in an upcoming dark comedy called Damaged Goods.

Tompsett was working as a solutions consultant when he appeared on the hit BBC show in 2022 and now runs an AI workflow automation company.

He said: "I've just secured lead cast in a horror film for next year as well, so yeah, I'm going down a completely different path."

However, the former traitor admitted he initially found being in the public eye difficult.

He said: "I think in the first two years it was overwhelming. Anyone who has been on it will know you can't even go to Tesco and buy a meal deal at lunchtime without everyone staring at you.

"It's not a negative thing, but your privacy goes... I've always stopped and talked to everyone, still, it's quite hard to experience that loss of privacy, really."

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