'It was a relief when I was picked as a faithful'

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

A former police officer who was murdered in plain sight in an explosive episode of The Traitors said he had initially wanted to be a traitor as he had "always been on the right side of the law".

Maz Bana, from Preston, Lancashire, was the third player to be killed in the hit BBC series that has gripped the nation, learning his fate while trapped in a cage.

Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, The Traitors sees 22 contestants split into the faithfuls and traitors, with the former looking to find the latter before they are murdered or banished.

The 59-year-old, who now works as a civil servant after retiring from policing in 2015, said: "I just wanted to do something a bit naughty, but faithful is my sort of character.

"I must admit I did have this big sense of relief to think that I could be myself."

The father-of-five said he had loved watching the previous three UK series and was inspired to apply for the show by his children.

"I think the biggest driver was the fact that my kids really enjoy it," he said. "And for some reason they kept saying to me, 'Oh, dad you'd be fab on this'.

"It took me three series to decide whether to apply or not and I'm so happy that I did."

Featuring on the murder list three times, Maz certainly did not have it easy before being murdered in person by the three traitors.

"I thought my chances are good, one of nine, and then obviously in the end it was me," he said.

"I was absolutely gutted because I was really getting into the game and really enjoying myself, really building the relationships up."

But despite the nail-biting pressure, the experience exceeded all his expectations.

"I just loved every minute of it," he said.

Although it was a daunting moment watching the episode of his murder with his family by his side.

"I was really sort of excited. I was petrified," he said. "I knew what was coming. I had to contain that to myself.

"But it was so exciting. What a journey, what a trip, what a ride."

He said he was torn by who he would want to win, selecting Jessie as a faithful and Rachel as a traitor.

New episodes of The Traitors are broadcast on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on BBC One from 20:00 GMT or catch up on BBC iPlayer.

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