1 day ago

Charlie BucklandBBC Wales

BBC

Fiona, 62, from Swansea, admits she was questioned by two police officers after going to a shop for a burner phone to manage her social media accounts

Spoiler warning: This article contains details of the new series of The Traitors.

Adjusting to post-Traitors fame can be difficult to manage, but one star of the show says the police were called after she tried to buy a "burner phone" to help manage her social media.

After the show began airing Fiona Hughes, 62, from Swansea, told Traitors Uncloaked she opened an Instagram account with the help of her son, but says she was advised to get a burner phone - a slang term for a low-cost, pay-as-you-go mobile phone - to help manage it.

"I haven't got a clue with anything like that, but somebody told me not to have it on my own mobile phone, to get a burner phone," she admitted.

"I did say to them, 'but I thought it was only drug addicts and gun dealers that had burner phones?' and they said to me 'no, you need one for your social media'.

"So I went into town, into a shop, and I asked for a burner phone.

"The man went into the back of the shop. I was just looking around, and two police officers turned up then and said to me, 'have you asked for a burner phone?'

"And I said, 'yes, the man's gone out the back to get it'. And they said, 'Can I ask you why you want a burner phone?'

"I said, I need it for social media," she said on Friday after her dramatic banishment.

"And they said, 'so why have you asked for a burner phone, why don't you ask for a pay-as-you-go phone'."

Chuckling as she retold the story, Fiona said: "Now do I look like the type?"

"Well you didn't look like a Traitor Fiona," replied former traitor Amanda Lovett.

The 62-year-old local government officer was overjoyed to finally meet her fellow traitors

While Fiona's time in the castle was short lived, the 62-year-old left jaws on the floor after her very public run in with fellow traitor, Rachel, when she called her out as a Traitor.

Friday's episode opened with a tense confrontation in the turret between the pair, something which the local government officer said she didn't anticipate.

"I wasn't nervous going into the turret. I wanted to have a bit of a joke with Rachel, but Rachel was so intense when I went in," Fiona said.

"So the only thing I could do in the turret was to say 'well, come on then, bring the game on', because there was only ever going to be two outcomes – I was going to go, or she was going to go – and either way, it was going to happen.

"So it was out of my hands, and I was quite happy to go along with the flow," she added.

After the banishment of fellow Welsh contestant Hugo on Wednesday, the secret traitor - whose identity was previously unknown to everyone, including fellow traitors and even the viewers - was revealed as Fiona.

She joined the other two traitors, Stephen and Rachel, but admitted their existing alliance made her own position more vulnerable, and she didn't trust Rachel.

The shocking moment Fiona was unveiled as the secret traitor

Speaking to Lucy Owen on BBC Radio Wales, Fiona said she and Rachel didn't have "mutual trust".

"Or at least I didn't. I had suspicions before and I didn't quite trust Rachel because I knew she was such a good player," she said.

"I just thought this is my opportunity, this is the only one I'm going to get that I can take control of, because I knew she would come after me at some point.

She said when there are two temperamental personalities together "there is going to be an explosion".

"And my gosh did we have one," she said, laughing.

However, Fiona's plan to oust Rachel came back to haunt her: "Unfortunately I was the master of my own downfall, but I would prefer that than be someone else's pawn."

"My spectacular plan absolutely backfired," she said, adding she thought she would be able to swing people towards her.

"That didn't quite work."

"I played it my way. I've just done a Fiona, which is not unusual of me to do silly things."

"As much as it was a silly thing to do, I don't regret it at all. My time was up."

Fiona said she hopes her fellow traitors get to the final, but is also rooting for creative director Matthew and gardener James.

Reflecting on her time on the show, Fiona, who has watched every series with her husband and son since series one, described it as "joyous".

"Just to have the opportunity to go on and represent Wales, and also my hometown city of Swansea, is phenomenal.

"I want to thank everybody in Wales for their brilliant support and apologise if I let them down. But I wanted to have fun, to be honest - and I had a ball."

The Traitors continues on BBC One and iPlayer on 14 January at 8pm.

More top stories