If we had to whittle down the most nail-biting reality TV moments of all time, Mollie Pearce discovering that Harry Clark had pulled the wool over her eyes in The Traitors finale last year would be a strong contender.
Remembering when her cunning co-star was unveiled as a Traitor (and the sole winner of an eye-watering £95k cash prize), Faithful Mollie tells us, ‘It was emotional watching it back. But I was over it! It had been a long time since filming at that point, like five or six months.’
The Traitors has undoubtedly transpired into a big ol’ springboard for the 22-year-old model, who is as sweet-natured on Zoom as she was during the addictive game show. This year, Mollie’s swapped the cutthroat Traitors round table for the equally daunting Dancing On Ice rink, a pinch-me opportunity of which she is clearly lapping up every second. And so are viewers, as Mollie’s openness about her disabilities (she was born without fingers on her right hand and uses a stoma in the wake of her ulcerative colitis diagnosis) has already won undivided praise. But before we find out how she’s feeling about her skating debut, we naturally had to pick her brains about this series of The Traitors too…
How are you finding The Traitors this year?
I'm enjoying it. It's nice to watch it with a fresh mind and not know what's going to happen. I think Minah [Shannon]'s doing really, really well as a Traitor - she's playing a great game.
What are your early predictions for the final?
Obviously, people know I played a quieter game. I think in that show, it sometimes is the only way to make it through. If you start throwing out all your opinions and you're quite a loud voice in the group, there's a high chance that you're going to be a threat to somebody, whether the Faithfuls think that you're trying to mix things up or the Traitors just think they need to get rid of you. Maybe the people we haven't seen as much of yet could potentially come up in the later episodes, but we'll see.
What are your thoughts on the rule change, that finalists won’t reveal their identities when they leave?
I think that's really interesting - it’s a good twist they’ve done there. I'm looking forward to the final!
When the Traitors are discussing who to murder, it often cuts to hilarious scenes of the at-risk Faithfuls in their bedroom...
Like Sonja [Clarke] knitting while she's got her eye mask on.
Exactly! So… how much input do you have in those scenes?
Everyone’s different. I think it depends if you have a strong hobby or not. This year we've had karate, and you had Sonja our year knitting. I guess I'm a bit boring, so [producers] were like, 'Just brush your hair in front of the mirror.'
How do the producers make sure contestants don’t communicate with each other outside of filming?
They’re really good at it. I think a lot of people want to know the behind-the-scenes [facts], and want to take away that magic of the show. It's something that I personally would never do. What you see is so truthful. We're not actors going on that show, and producers do take certain procedures to make sure that we don't know what's going on at times so that they can get our reaction. We don't have any communication in the evenings.
Just how intense are the round tables?
They are very long. I got quite a lot of backlash from not speaking at the table, but everyone speaks. It’s just the points that are relevant to that episode which are obviously put in. I think people forget that we're not just sat there for 10 minutes. There is so much that goes on. Your mind can change because you're there for such a long period of time. Everyone has these different points, and you can go in with this strong thought about someone and it can completely change in that room. [Producers] used to always cut to me, and I would look so bored and tired. I think there are clips of me and I'm thinking, 'When's it going to be over?' It’s obviously quite a draining room and not the nicest to spend three hours in, because people are arguing. I think people need to remember a lot of conversations happen and people do speak, even if it doesn't seem like they do.
There are a lot of emotions and tears this year… Do you empathise?
Massively. You are just so immersed in the experience. It feels like real life. I think unless someone experiences it, you cannot explain how intense and how real it all feels. I don't blame [the contestants] for being emotional. It’s so easy to judge online, but try playing that game, and I think it will completely change your mind.
How is the breakfast order determined? People have been speculating that two of the three Faithfuls targeted for murder are often the last to come in…
It is random. And I get the theory that everyone's saying, but sometimes Traitors come in last and things like that.
What impact did Claudia [Winkleman] have on your experience?
She was amazing, especially after the show finished. When I see her at events, she's just so lovely. I don't think they could find a better host for that show. I think she's perfect for it.
You took a step back from social media after the final aired last year – how did you feel watching it back?
It’s never easy to watch yourself upset I suppose, and to relive that moment. People [online] can be nasty, and it was just a bit of a shock to the system because I've never experienced that amount of negativity before. But you put yourself out there, so you've got to accept that could happen. We are there for people's entertainment, and people love the show, but it wouldn't be there without the contestants going on and playing it how they want to. I would just suggest people are cautious with their words.
It's the dark side of social media, isn’t it?
Yeah. If everyone loves the show so much, just appreciate it for what it is. I think anyone who goes [on the show] is really brave.
Was it easy to move past Harry’s deceit after the show?
Yeah, I think so. Of course, [the deceit] was a little bit of a shock in the moment, and everything felt really overwhelming. I actually think the Faithfuls don’t seem to be trusting each other at all this year, so it's a very different game. They've clearly learned from my mistakes!
Will any of your co-stars come to watch you on Dancing On Ice?
Yeah, definitely. It depends how long I last I guess, but I'd really love them to all come down. I'm having chats with Jasmine [Boatswain] actually, as we’re going to sort out a week for her to come down. I will hopefully get queen Diane [Carson] there because everyone loves to see her.
What does it mean to be on the show?
It all feels very surreal at the moment. I still have these out-of-body moments when I'm like, 'Oh my goodness, this is my life.' I just don't know how it's happened, really. I just feel so grateful to be part of it. I have got myself worked up sometimes with the nerves, but I need to take a step back and think I'm so lucky to have this experience and to be trained by Colin [Grafton], who is just the most incredible skater and friend.
You had an injury before even meeting Colin, right?
Yeah. We do training with a local coach before we meet our partners, and I had a fall on the ice and fractured my left wrist, which was really gutting. Colin and I had four weeks off together, so we made the most of our time in a dance studio. We had mirrors so I could see my placement, and we worked on our partnership. I felt like we really got to know each other. Four weeks is a long time to have off in this competition, but it gave us that extra push.
Who have you gelled with the most out of your castmates?
Honestly, it's such a lovely cast. I think they're all amazing. Sam [Aston] and I have spent quite a lot of time together, and we get on really, really well. He’s just the most down-to-earth, normal guy. Sometimes, when someone's grown up in the industry, you don't expect that, do you? He's like a breath of fresh air.
What do you hope your appearance on the show will mean for representation?
The messages I'm getting are crazy, even down to little things like the outfits we wear on the show. People can't believe that with the stoma I can wear them. We’re doing all these lifts and things, and it just shows the stoma community and the limb difference community you can do anything. I do have a limb difference, and I do have a stoma, but that's not the whole thing. There's so much more to it, and this is such a personal challenge as well. Colin and I have a lot of conversations where he's like, 'You just need to realise that you've not been doing this all your life.' I'm super hard on myself, which is good in some ways, because it means I do put the work in, and I do want to be my best and to improve. But sometimes I need to take a step back and think, 'Look how far I've come from my first steps on the ice to now.'
What’s next for you career-wise?
I really enjoy little presenting jobs, especially when it comes to talking about things I'm passionate about. I've done awareness around stomas, and then a little VT about prosthetics as well, and I really enjoyed those. Let’s get through Dancing On Ice, and then we’ll see what's next. I think I’ll have a nice holiday somewhere really warm!