Yahoo News The Traitors star Paul says he was headbutted for his ginger hair
Paul Gorton was bullied throughout his childhood and now wants to use his reality TV platform to help others.
Paul Gorton rose to fame earlier this year as one of the greatest reality TV villains of all time, playing mastermind in the second series of The Traitors. But he's now using his platform to speak out against "gingerism" and the bullying he faced as a child due to the colour of his hair.
On one of the most upsetting occasions, Gorton was at a youth club when he was brutally headbutted by one of the bullies. He has now become an ambassador for the National Bullying Helpline to help others.
"The problem is that people don’t take ‘gingerism’ seriously, but it can really affect people and I want those who are suffering cruel taunts at the hands of bullies to know that there is help and that I understand what they are going through," he told the Mirror.
The 36-year-old TV star explained that he became aware of his difference at primary school, but said everything kicked up a notch and he had to "develop a thick skin" when he got older.
“I was in a youth club minding my own business and someone came over and headbutted me," said Gorton.
"I remember going home and crying but still didn’t tell my parents about it. A lot of stuff I locked away, but when I look at it, it was a travesty, it was awful."
Gorton said he believed that gingerism was a thing of the past until he heard recently about one of his friend's sons, who received a negative comment from a teacher about his hair.
The star said: "This boy is a bright kid and received an award at school recently, but when the headteacher came to give it to him, he remarked he wasn’t sure if he should receive it because of his hair."
Gorton even explained that, when his son was born after an exhausting and prolonged labour, one of the midwives commented: "He’s not ginger like you, what a relief."
The star said that his experiences helped him to deal with the pressure of being a part of The Traitors, in which he was one of the three original Traitors on this year's series.
He ultimately had one of the most memorable exits in the history of the show when, after turning on several of his fellow Traitors, he eventually came unstuck at the Round Table.
Watch: Paul turns on fellow Traitor at the Round Table
Paul's fellow Traitor, Harry Clark, went on to win £95,000 after convincing his friend Mollie Pearce that he was a Faithful during The Traitors final.
We'll all get to return to the castle soon, following the news that The Traitors has been renewed for a third series on the BBC.
Read more:
