BBC Traitors' Paul confesses 'moment of weakness' and unaired awkward scene
Paul Gorton is possibly the most controversial contestant to have ever been on The Traitors - but whether you were rooting for his win or not, he went out with a bow last night.
The business manager, 36, was recruited as a Traitor by host Claudia Winkleman at the very beginning of series two, and ever since that powerful shoulder tap, he's fulfilled his vow to murder Faithfuls and keep his identity a secret.
But it hasn't been an easy battle, with Paul shedding tears and even trapping himself in a dungeon in a bid to stay in the £120,000 game. Last night, the 'Oscar-worthy actor' saw himself under fire and ultimately banished from the round table.
It came after he threw fellow Traitor Ash Bibi under the bus, planted seeds that his sidekick Miles Asteri was traitorous, and enlisted Andrew Jenkins to feed to the lions. But how bitter does Paul feel about his loss and does he think former ally Harry Clark will win the show?
Paul revealed that the Traitors' strategy was to play the role of a Faithful until they got inside the turret - and it's the game plan Harry will continue (BBC/Studio Lambert)Speaking to The Mirror Paul said he had 'no regrets' and didn't foresee his banishment. "I genuinely don't think I made a mistake big enough to be banished," he said. "I wouldn't have done anything differently, because I might've been found out sooner. I think all the decisions we made were great."
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He revealed that he wasn't his 'authentic self' at all on the show, and was playing a "cocky and arrogant character". "I was trying to be the panto villain/ Jafar in Aladdin/ Scar in Lion King, and cause as much mischief as possible, within the rules of the game," he said. "I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I wanted to be a Traitor - I thought that was the best and most fun way to play."
Touching on being dubbed 'evil' by viewers, Paul responded: "I can't take it personally because it wasn't me - that was my persona. And watching the show back myself, I'm thinking, 'We need to get this guy out'. A lot of people have said to me since, 'I hated you at the start and I loved you at the end'. I'm getting the most love I've ever seen."
Paul explained that the dungeon "felt like a mistake" at the time - but could've worked in his favour if he stayed. "Recruiting Andrew could've closed the narrative off nicely because then it would've looked like Ash and Andrew were in the dungeon together," he continued. "And me and Andrew were really close, so maybe he kept me around because he liked me - that was kind of my story to get rid of Andrew."
Discussing that post-dungeon round table, Paul said: "I'm an emotional person and big boys can cry. The dungeon was stressful, freezing and we went straight to the round table after where everyone was staring at us. I didn't predict I'd cry but that was me at my most vulnerable. I think my smug and arrogant persona was starting to deteriorate. What was interesting was the more sensitive I got, the more people accused me of being a Traitor."
While he admitted Andrew's recruitment was pretty calculated, his decisions to banish fellow Traitors, Ash and Miles, were less thought out. "When I called Miles out, I was being Faithful because Diane genuinely said that if I died, it was Miles. So it was easy - I wasn't even being a Traitor and lying," Paul explained. And Ash's early banishment was simply because she wasn't playing a good enough Traitor.
Paul revealed the Traitors' game plan - and one that Harry will continue: "Our strategy was to be a Faithful up until you got into the turret, and when you got in the turret, you became a Traitor. If me and Harry saw something Traitor-related, we had to call it out. So we had to call out Ash, otherwise we made ourselves vulnerable. We had to go with our Faithful brain."
Paul (pictured with his wife and son) shed real tears thinking about home and admitted he is an emotional person (Instagram)
He'd love to present a game show and is prepared to go back on Deal or No Deal for a full-circle moment (Instagram)Despite voting Ash and Miles out, Paul wouldn't have ever betrayed Harry. "Not one part of me would've done it. I never even planted seeds about him," he said. But does he think Harry has the potential to win? "He's now the president of the Faithfuls and everyone loves him. He's in the strongest possible position and if a Traitor was to win, I'd want it to be Harry," Paul explained.
He added that Harry has followed in his footsteps and almost copied his own technique with Miles. "I thought I could get Miles out and be seen as a fantastic Faithful and Harry's done the same with me - and predominantly from a comment from Charlotte," Paul said. "In the past couple of episodes, Evie and Charlotte have lied more than any Traitor."
He continued: "If a Faithful was to win, I'd want it to be Ross or Zack. When Zack accused me, he was using his reasoning and brain power. He was so bang on right. I thought Jaz was great trying to call me out and he should have done it a couple more times." So, there's no hard feelings there - in fact, they're all one big, happy family.
"We're all in a group chat. Outside of the game, it doesn't matter if you were a Faithful or a Traitor, it's beautiful and everyone gets on really well," Paul said. "Us Traitors chat all the time, Ash is absolutely unbelievable and I have so much respect for her. I talk to Harry constantly and Diane and Ross."
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The mother-and-son duo was one Paul did not see coming. "I didn't know anything - but Zack did. That boy has the brain power to think about a million things at once," Paul added. "Instead of just trying to find Traitors, he was trying to find connections between people too. But he got the wrong son."
And it's not just the players that Paul holds close to his heart, but host Claudia too. "Claudia is amazing - she is literally the glue of the show. She is wonderful and warm and there's nobody that could do that role better," Paul said. However, he would give it a good go. "What Claudia was doing, I just thought, 'I'd love to do that', and you never know what's around the corner."
It would be the business manager's dream to present 8 Out of 10 Cats, Countdown or Would I Lie To You? - and in a real twist of events, he'd even go back on Deal or No Deal, which he competed in 13 years ago and left 10p up. "You know what... I want to be the host of Deal or No Deal - it would be a great full-circle moment," he chuckled.
So, that's the end of Paul's time on The Traitors, though potentially not the last time we'll see him on TV. But is there anything we didn't get to see? "The way that it's edited is absolutely flawless - viewers missed nothing. But there was one time Harry had a sneezing attack in the turret that they managed to edit out. That boy is allergic to everything. You can see him twitching his nose a little bit if you look closely."
- The Traitors continues on BBC One at 9pm tonight.
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