The Traitors star Jessie 'normalises' stammering

When Jessie Stride appeared on The Traitors as the first contestant to have a stammer, she really connected with Tom De La Cour.

Tom grew up in Jersey, doing all he could to hide his stammer at school so people would not mention it or answer questions.

"My mindset was that it was the worst thing in the world for me to stammer," he said. "I'd swap words, avoid situations, sometimes you just don't talk because you don't want to get stuck.

"You basically stop being you. You stop doing things you want to do and saying what you want to say."

Tom used to talk as little as possible. Saying his own name could be difficult.

"Lots of us find it hard to say our name, it's quite a big thing," he said. "And if you get stuck, people sometimes joke, 'Did you forget your name?' as if you're not very smart."

People trying to finish his sentences made things more stressful.

"They don't mean to be rude, but it adds stress," he said. "Just let someone with a stammer talk at their own pace, in their own way."

Things got easier for Tom when he helped launch the Jersey Stammering Support Group.

"We don't teach things, we're just a support group for people to come and talk to people who know what it's like," he said.

"They're not going to laugh, they know exactly what it's like, so it was a place where I could be a bit more me."

Over time, that confidence carried into the rest of his life.

For Tom, awareness is the next big step, which is why seeing Jessie on The Traitors meant so much.

"To have someone with a stammer on a primetime show with a massive fan base, it's huge," he said.

"The end goal is to normalise it so it's just part of what you see."

Jessie, a hairdresser from Hull, became the first contestant with a stammer on the hit BBC series, winning viewers over with her warmth and humour.

Tom hopes it is the start of more opportunities for her and others.

"She was just being herself, and the group on the show gave her the time to speak," he said.

Tom knows gaining confidence can be hard, but he believes representation is important and would love to see a TV host with a stammer.

"You can't be it if you can't see it," he said.

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