The Traitors has been the sleeper hit of the year, as viewers everywhere have become slowly obsessed with the reality show. And if there was one person pulling all of the strings in the white-knuckle ride of the competition, it was Wilfred.
MORE: The Traitors finale: did the Faithfuls or Traitors win the show?
The fundraiser almost managed to convince everyone that he was a faithful and walk away with the prize money - before his new fellow traitor Kieran cast doubt in everyone's minds about Wilf's trustworthiness. This 'parting gift' led Hannah and Aaron to finally see the light - but how does Wilf feel about the show now that it is, and would he have done anything differently? Read our exclusive here...
How does it feel to be the centre of the biggest TV moment of 2022?
Overwhelming! Even yesterday, I haven’t been out, I’ve been sick. Yesterday was the first day since the first week that I’ve been out in public, and it’s gone mad. I went out yesterday to do some last-minute Christmas shopping and people were going nuts. I was like, ‘Oh my God this is way bigger than what I thought in my mind.'
Wilf opened up about the experience to HELLO!
I went to the hospital yesterday with my littlest daughter, she had been really sick... when the doctor came in to see my daughter, she said, ‘Oh my god, please don't tell me what happened! I can’t believe you’re actually here!’ It’s crazy man!
I actually thought I saw you on the street the other day, but it wasn’t you and I was disappointed.
Was it Daniel Mays?!
Oh yeah! What did you make of that comparison? Even Daniel’s said he’ll play you in a fictionalised version of the show!
I really like him, he’s one of my favourite British actors as well. The whole thing is overwhelming and knowing that some of the biggest moments were because I was involved - I don’t watch a lot of TV, I watch streaming stuff, but nothing’s really jumped out this year that's made me go, ‘Oh wow,’ but some moments in The Traitors, it still blows my mind!
Wilf made it to episode 12
Tom and Alex came around to watch the final last night, and the first line of the episode was, ‘Alex is my girlfriend,’ and I was like, ‘Mate, you’re still getting it!’
You played such a blinder. How does it feel watching it back? Would you have done anything differently?
Watching it back, I don’t regret anything. Everyone says, ‘But you didn’t win,’ but for me, I don't really regret anything. I went into to play a game and in my mind so if I didn't stick to what I went in there for, I would regret it. I would have been like, ‘Oh my god, I didn't say what I wanted to say, and I messed up and now I'm out.’ I just had to speak to my game plan and what I wanted to achieve.
Even though I didn't win, I think not winning was better for me for two reasons. I think one, it’s better the faithfuls won for the public. I don't think I would have been able to live with the guilt and build the relationship that I actually have with Hannah, Meryl and Aaron. We're so close and I think that would have probably ruined our friendship.
Wilf said he should have chosen Hannah
At that point, friendship was so much more important to me at that point. The money is great, don’t get me wrong, but I'm so determined to be successful in whatever I do - I have a five-year, ten-year, and one-year plan, and this would shorten it for me, but I know I’ll still achieve what I want to achieve - but I also want these people to be a part of my life. We’re so close, it’s mad.
The friendships are so real while you’re playing this other role. It must get so hard to keep going after the money.
One of the things I really struggled with especially the last two episodes was that the closer I got with Hannah and Aaron, the more that I was having so much fun with them, I’d be like, ‘Oh my God I have to screw these people over.’ I’d be so happy then I’d be so sad. I was thinking to myself, ‘I wish there was another way to end this. I wish there was a way that if I admit I’m a traitor I get ten grand. If they’d said, ‘Take some money and leave the rest to the faithfuls,’ I’d have been like, ‘Yep. Bye!’ I feel that this was the right outcome.
It does feel like the second you say you’re a traitor, a weight is lifted from you
I re-lived that moment in my feelings when I was watching back. I just felt relieved. Actually, my last traitor move was to get my family and friends around and make a big deal out of it, so they're like, ‘Oh he's definitely won!’ Then I was like, ‘I didn’t win, bye!’ It was so funny.
Were you expecting that Kieran would insinuate that you are a traitor?
I’ll be completely honest, when I recruited Kieran, my aim was to go to the end with him. It really was. But he was the worst traitor ever! I was like, ‘Oh My God, there’s no way I can convince everyone that he's not a traitor.'
Wilf revealed why he had to turn on Kieran
He was walking around and he was just angry! He knew that I was going to vote him out. I knew something was going to happen. I knew he was going to try something. When he did the parting gift thing, I was like, ‘Oh My God.’ Hannah never doubted me, and then a saw that doubt in Hannah.
I thought, ‘I have to try and fight for it,’ but once I lost Hannah, her voice and her opinion were so strong at the point, I knew it was over from there. I had one last fight and if it doesn’t work out, that’s it.
Your ultimatum gave you away a bit as well
It’s all such a blur. When you’re in that mindset, trying to fight for your place, don’t forget, it’s the end of 12 episodes. I was mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. You’re running on empty, I was so tired.
By 12 episodes, my mind was gone. You say whatever you can, but in the end, you just lose it a little bit. But the outcome was the best thing that could have happened. I think the public would have hated me a little bit more if I'd won!
Knowing Kieran wouldn’t have been a good traitor in hindsight, would you have chosen Hannah or somebody else instead?
For me personally, this is the best outcome for various reasons, but I know that if I picked Hannah, we would have won. I know we would have.
MORE: 5 burning questions about filming The Traitors answered - exclusive
I knew that when I stood there deciding but for some reason, I couldn't pick her. It was between Kieran and Hannah. But something in my heart was like, 'Don't make Hannah do this.' I don’t know what it was! She trusted me 100%, we had Meryl behind us, we would have done it. But something in my heart told me not to do it. It’s so strange how your mind and feelings work. I can’t even explain what happened.
She’s come around a few times, we get on really well and she’s one of my best friends, and she was like, ‘You should have picked me!’ And I was like, ‘Yep! But I couldn’t and I don’t know why!’
Did she say she would have become a traitor?
Yeah! She said, ‘Oh yeah I would have been a traitor!’
How are you and Kieran now?
We’re really close, I was with him all morning, and we’re having a laugh. Whenever I see him I say ‘parting gift.’ ‘Anyway Kieran, I’m getting this taxi. Parting gift!’ We just get on really well and that’s one of the reasons I chose him in the first place. I don’t hold grudges against people so I’m not really bothered!
I believe it’s a game. In the beginning, I didn’t and that was my issue. And then it finally clicked and I thought, ‘Will, what’re you doing man? It’s a game.’ As soon as it happened, it was fine.
Does it seem that no one’s held anything that happened in the game against anyone else?
There’s no one! Amos says we have a trauma bond. We all get on because we understand that it was so mad. I get on best with the finalists, but also Tom and Alex! Me and Tom are really close and have a Snapchat show together. We’re working together professionally and we get on really well. Everyone gets on which is nice, it makes it so much easier.
We want a reunion episode!
We’re asking for it! I’m like, ‘We need it!’ We would love a reunion episode because people won’t believe how close we are and you’ll see that. Some people have said to put the same people in for season two, but there’s no way. I’m never doing this again. No one would ever trust me! First out, murdered.
EXCLUSIVE: The Traitors star Fay on why she was murdered and if she'd do anything differently
Speaking of murdering people on the show, why did you never murder Maddie?
Maddie was a strategic one for me. Basically, the longer I kept Maddie in, the more she would say my name and the more people would laugh at it. So I was like, if I keep her in, she'll always say my name and people would just be like, ‘Yeah alright Maddie’. But if I took her out and somebody else said my name, then that seed would grow again.
The only reason I started pointing fingers at her was that she lied and told Kieran that I said his name and I didn't! And then I was like, ‘She needs to go now.’ I needed to get Hannah and Meryl onto her.
I cannot believe you managed to do that. The one time you all had something to go on because it had to be a man - and Maddie still got voted out!
We all went in there to vote for a man! Oh my God, I don’t even know how I pulled it off. It became an emotional decision. I think everyone knew she was a faithful as well but I still managed to get the team behind me to do it. Then it worked in my favour! Kieran’s version of my Hannah and Meryl was Andrea and Maddie. So in the back of my mind I thought, Maddie needs to go so I’ve got the majority.
You were playing a game of chess, basically
My strategy was to befriend and betray, but then the only people I couldn't betray was Aaron, Meryl and Hannah. I couldn’t do it! My experience would have been rubbish if I didn’t have them in there. They made it easier and I thought, ‘If I lose this, who would I want to have the money the most?’ Aaron is the most genuine man I’ve ever met in my life. I hope my daughter meets someone like him in the future, that’s how much I like the guy. I knew that if I lost to people I love and admire, it wouldn’t hurt. And it didn’t!
What would your advice be for future traitors?
I have two sets of advice. One, get noticed early on and fight through that and then people will leave you alone. So I fought against Alyssa, and after that, no one voted for me again. If you can fight your corner and prove you’re faithful, then cool. Number two is to build a relationship with the traitors outside of the concave because the worst thing I did is not build a real relationship with Alyssa and Amanda, and it made it so hard to trust them.
We wanted to divide and conquer, so we didn’t stick together as well. People were looking for the traitors in the groups so that worked well, but we should have built a relationship as well.
You, Amanda and Alyssa need to go and have a traitors' dinner!
We’ve been in a traitors group chat for so long! Alyssa was like, ‘Will, tonight’s going to be [expletive] because you kill me but I love you,’ we have a really good relationship on WhatsApp, and they’ve been really supportive during the process!
Has there been much social media backlash?
I feel like if it weren't for the hate, people who love gameplay wouldn’t defend it so much. When I got hate for the Alyssa thing, all these people who love the gameplay came out of the woodwork and defended me and supported me even more. You can’t have love without hate, and that’s just what social media is.
Do you think there will be a season two?
Obviously, there will be. They have to, they can't not but I don't know how they would. Because everything that happened in the show was so random! Our choosing to put Alex on trial made the Tom and Alex thing come out. I don’t know if they'll get that lucky again. It all happened by fate!
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