Amanda Collier says that the medical she received prior to filming the BBC show revealed she had a serious heart problem
Being selected for the show potentially saved Amanda’s life(Image: PA)
The former senior detective who was banished from The Traitors last week has told how being selected for the show potentially saved her life.
Amanda Collier, a former Detective Chief Inspector with the Metropolitan Police, was given the routine medical check provided for all contestants before taking part on the programme – and was told she had a serious heart condition
The retired cop, who is originally from Bolton but now lives in Brighton, said she was diagnosed with “quite serious heart disease” after she had a CT scan before filming started.
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The 57-year-old said the condition runs in her family and said she was “very, very grateful” to the programme-makers, saying that without the “due diligence” of the production team from Studio Lambert she would never have known the extent of her health problem.
She said the news has enabled her to get medication and change her lifestyle in order to stay healthy. “If I hadn’t had the scan I would still be running around doing what I’ve always done – such as half marathons which put a massive strain on your heart,” she told the BBC. “The good news is that I’m now on a course of drugs and I’ve changed my lifestyle, and I’m regularly checked by the NHS so I’m in a good place.”
Since leaving The Traitors series four, which was filmed in the summer, said has changed the way she stays fit, replacing long-distance running with short bursts of exercise like HIIT classes. The now retired senior Metropolitan Police detective added: “I’m very, very grateful for the show.”
In the programme she bonded with Traitor Rachel Duffy after learning that the latter’s mother has dementia, and she now works with an organisation which takes those with disabilities or conditions such as dementia on trips.
She has also become an advocate for the British Heart Foundation, and is keen to use her platform to raise awareness of heart disease. “I want to tell people heart disease doesn’t have an age… young people get it,” she said. “It doesn’t have to stop you doing what you love”.
Amanda was banished from the show, becoming the seventh player to leave, during the round table in last Thursday’s episode. Before she left, she unwittingly caused huge drama by confiding in her closest pal Rachel that she had had a long career in the police force
As well as receiving her potentially life-changing diagnosis, Collier said she had an “amazing” time on the show, despite not successfully picking out any Traitoes, instead focusing on Jade Scott and Sam Little – who are both Faithful. She described being in the programme as “intense, fun and nerve-wracking” and said the missions were “absolutely hilarious”.
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