I went on The Traitors but was desperate to leave – by the end I was exhausted, paranoid and suffered horrific headaches
THE Traitors is back with a bang - but one former contestant has blamed the show for sparking 'anxiety, paranoia and headaches'.
Alex Gray, 28, took part in the first series of the BBC1 series with her boyfriend Tom Elderfield and the pair decided to hide their relationship from the others.
But things reached fever pitch when their romance was exposed, Tom was killed off and Alex was then invited to join the Traitors.
Alex turned down the offer and she was also brutally killed off in retaliation.
But reflecting on her exit in 2022, Alex has exclusively told The Sun Online that she was "relieved", as the "stress was too heavy".
She says: "I was relieved. It had got to a point in the game where it no longer felt like a game anymore.
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"For me it wasn't fun. The emotions were too real, the stress was too heavy.
"It got to be where it was really, really, psychologically hard.
"I'd gone through a lot of combat up until that point, anyway, dealing with Tom and my relationship coming out."
Alex also found her suffering physically as well as mentally, following a tough challenge that saw her spun around on a wheel.
"That left me with a really bad headache," she added.
"I had a really bad headache for the rest of filming after that point and that, combined with like not sleeping properly, and the stress and anxiety and paranoia, I just I was like, just get me out of here. I'm just done."
Alex insists that overall her experience was a positive one, however, and confirmed she and Tom are still in a relationship.
On Wednesday, 22 new contestants were seen heading up to Scotland as the second series of The Traitors - hosted by Claudia Winkleman - kicked off.
And it seems producers have tried their hardest to find the perfect line-up of interesting contestants.
Among them is a full-time chess coach, two veterinary nurses - who don't know each other - an Army Engineer and a clairvoyant.
Two of the players also have links to famous faces.
Retired teacher Diane's actor son Kerr starred in series one of Game Of Thrones and played Matthos Seaworth, the son of Davos Seaworth played by Liam Cunningham.
Soldier Harry, meanwhile, is dating Anna Maynard - the younger sister of singer Conor and his I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! star brother Jack Maynard.
