'The Traitors potentially saved my life'

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

A former detective who appeared on The Traitors was told she had a serious heart condition during medical checks carried out on all contestants before they go on the show.

Amanda Collier, who is originally from Bolton but now lives in Brighton, was eliminated from the BBC One show at the round table on Thursday.

The now retired 57-year-old said she was diagnosed with "quite serious heart disease" after she had a CT scan before taking part in the show.

The former faithful said the condition runs in her family - but without the "due diligence" of the show she would never have known the extent of it.

Collier, who used to work as a senior Metropolitan Police detective, was banished from the castle shortly after revealing her secret identity to her closest friend in the castle, traitor Rachel Duffy.

She was the seventh player to leave the castle in the fourth UK series of the show hosted by Claudia Winkleman in which the group split into Faithfuls and Traitors, with the former looking to find the latter before the traitors can "murder" them.

Speaking to BBC North West Tonight, Collier said doctors picked up slight damage to her heart after her sister had a heart attack in 2019, and she got herself checked out.

She was put on cholesterol-lowering statin pills, but when she applied to appear on The Traitors the show's producers wanted her to have another CT scan "just to be sure".

She said: "It has got a lot worse in the last five years.

"I have a gene which is causing issues with my heart, but I am now on a course of drugs, I have changed my lifestyle, and it has changed my life.

"The cardiologist said it's quite serious, but I am on the right path and I will hopefully live as long as I can."

"I would never have noticed it because I keep myself fit and healthy. I am quite a fit person," she said.

"I used to get out of bed and run a marathon, and I can't do that anymore.

"I have to be really careful about the exercise I do. I still exercise but I do HIIT classes, small sharp bits of exercise. I have had to change my life a bit."

Collier - originally from Farnworth - added: "I'm regularly checked by the NHS so I'm in a good place."

She added: "I'm very, very grateful for the show."

Collier now volunteers by taking people with disabilities or conditions such as dementia out on trips.

Now an advocate for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), she said she wants to use her platform to raise awareness of heart disease.

"I want to use what I've got, and what I have unmasked just over the last couple of weeks, to tell people that heart disease doesn't have an age, young and old people can get heart disease.

"It doesn't have to stop you doing what you love".

Teresa Hicks, of the British Heart Foundation, said the charity had enjoyed following Collier's time on The Traitors and thanked her for "being a British Heart Foundation faithful".

"By sharing her recent heart journey, Amanda is helping to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease, which affects around eight million people in the UK."

She added: "If you have any questions or concerns about heart health... the BHF's information and support services are here for you. This includes our freephone Heart Helpline, where you can speak with one of our cardiac nurses."

As well as her life-changing diagnosis, Collier said she had had an "amazing" time on the show.

She described it as "intense, fun and nerve-wracking" and said the missions were "absolutely hilarious".

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