Inside The Traitors Mollie Pearce’s glam life as a disability model – from being unable to leave the house to finalist
The Traitors’ Mollie Pearce’s fateful decision during last night’s finale may have proven divisive – but there’s no denying she’s still an inspiration to many.
Throughout her time on The Traitors, the 21-year-old Bristolian moved viewers as she opened up about her past medical conditions and how she wants to be an advocate for those who may be in a similar situation.
Despite her devastating loss during the finale on Friday night – where she chose her heart over head and put her faith in traitor Harry – Mollie is certainly going to get even more calls now she’s one of the most known faces in the UK.
But first, she’s going to take Harry back on his way to make amends with her, by heading off on a holiday – something boyfriend Max is sure to enjoy as well.
Way before she appeared in the BBC castle, Mollie had actually made huge moves in the modelling industry, and was her time on the show would help improve visibility of those with disabilities.
After being born with several fingers missing from her right hand – something that was discovered while she was still inside the womb.
Speaking in Vogue Portugal, she credits her older brother for keeping her active, with him teaching her how to climb when she was still young.
However, she admitted that, at least in her teens, she struggled with being proud of her body and would often hide her hand in photographs thanks to strategic poses.
Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 11, Mollie had to have her colon removed nine years later in a life-threatening surgery.
She ultimately had to go under the knife for an ileostomy in 2020 – where her colon was removed and the end of her small bowel was brought through a hole in her stomach into a stoma bag.
I thought I’d never get a boyfriend again
Mollie Pearce
As a result, she now has a bag attached the lower right side of her stomach through which her body eliminates waste.
She told her co-stars during the show: “Obviously as an 18-year-old, getting told that you have to have a bag stuck to you for the rest of your life, you’re thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m never going to be able to wear anything again, never going to be able to go swimming again, never get a boyfriend again.'”
Thankfully, the operation was a success and she said the stoma bag helped her get her life back – and it was proven on the show as she matched the athleticism of former army vets like eventual winner, Harry Clark.
Away from Scotland, she is supported by her boyfriend of two years, Max Backwell, who ahead of the finale branded her an ‘inspiration to millions’.
“You’ve captured the hearts of everyone but you’ve always had mine,” he wrote on Instagram in a throwback post ahead of the finale.
Together, the couple have been seeing the world together over the past two years, sharing updates of their luxury travels to sun-soaked locations like Rome, Florence and Croatia.
Turning her attention to modelling, Mollie signed to inclusive talent agency Zebedee in order to launch her career, while also working as a healthcare assistant in between shoots.
Mollie has proudly posed for Vogue Portugal in a feature spread, and working with high fashion brands including Kurt Geiger.
She was even named and featured in Kurt Geiger’s People Empowered campaign, where she explained how her work as a model after her stoma has given her a new lease of life: “I’ve met some of the most amazing people with disabilities on shoots who have inspired me more than anyone. Now that, to me, is true beauty.”
Speaking on the show, Mollie explained she wanted to inspire younger people with similar conditions, telling her fellow players: “I walked into a shop and saw a model who had one arm. From that moment I just remember saying to my mum that the way she made me feel, I was like, ‘I want that to be me for other people’”.
The Traitors is available in full to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
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