The Traitors star Amanda Collier reveals how the BBC show saved her life and uncovered a life-changing diagnosis

The Traitors star Amanda Collier has revealed how the BBC program saved her life and revealed a life-changing diagnosis.

The former Detective Chief Inspector of the Metropolitan Police, who was suspended from the popular soap last week, has revealed that being chosen to appear in the series could have potentially saved his life.

Amanda, 57, revealed that the routine medical examination given to all contestants before filming showed that she had a serious heart condition.

Retired detective now shared He was diagnosed when a CT scan revealed he had ‘pretty serious heart disease’.

Amanda said the condition runs in her family and that she is ‘very, very grateful’ to the show’s creators as she never knew the extent of her health problem.

Now the BBC star has revealed that she is able to get the medication she needs and change her lifestyle to stay healthy.

The former Detective Chief Inspector, who was suspended from the popular soap last week, has revealed that being chosen to appear in the series could have potentially saved his life

He said: ‘If I hadn’t had the scan I’d still be running around doing what I’ve always done, half marathons which take a huge toll on your heart.

‘The good news is that I’m now on drugs and have changed my lifestyle and am regularly checked by the NHS so I’m in a good place.’

Since leaving the fourth series of The Traitors, which was filmed in the summer, Amanda has changed the way she keeps fit, swapping long-distance runs for short bursts of exercise such as HIIT classes.

The retired senior Metropolitan Police detective added: ‘I’m very, very grateful for the show.’

Since her diagnosis, Amanda has also become an advocate for the British Heart Foundation and wants to use her platform to raise awareness of heart disease.

‘I want to tell people that heart disease has no age limit… young people get it,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t have to stop you from doing what you love.’

comes later Amanda has revealed the ‘little mistake’ that led to her elimination from The Traitors.

She bowed out in a thrilling roundtable on last Thursday’s episode, but now speaking to Jon Kay and Sally Nugent on BBC Breakfast, she has revealed how contestants will jump on any mistakes made, prompting host Jon to ask what hers were.

57-year-old Amanda announced that a routine medical examination for the contestants participating in the program was performed before the shooting and that it showed that she had a serious heart condition.

The retired detective said he was ‘very, very grateful’ to the programme’s creators as he would never have known the extent of his health problem.

He said: ‘If I hadn’t had the scan I’d still be running around doing what I always do. The good news is that I’m now in drug treatment, I’ve changed my lifestyle and I’m checked regularly by the NHS, so I’m in a good place.’

Amanda explained: ‘If you make a small mistake they jump right on it. Just like a deck of cards.

‘I just confused them. I gave two names at the same time at the round table meeting.

‘And they said: ‘Wait a minute, first you said this person and then you said this person.’

‘Then I voted for Jade but I said it to someone else, so they were a bit like, ‘That’s a bit of a traitor.’

At Amanda’s latest roundtable, the votes were tied between her and fellow actor Reece Ward.

Therefore, the couple had to go through the Lucky Chests; each chose one of two boxes, one of which contained a shield representing security.

Unfortunately for Amanda, it was Reece who chose the desired box, meaning her elimination was sealed.

He then stood in front of his fellow actors and revealed that he had, in fact, been a Loyalist all along.

Throughout her time at the castle, Amanda largely kept her police work a secret – although towards the end she confided in her ‘best friend’ Rachel.

Unbeknownst to the retired detective, Rachel was actually one of three Traitors playing against him in the game.

Following Amanda’s banishment, Rachel revealed the secret to the other contestants, hoping to use it as misdirection.

This had explosive consequences, though, as Fiona the Traitor made it clear that she didn’t believe Rachel and accused her of being the Traitor.

The two went head-to-head to eliminate the other, and Rachel quickly found success.

It comes as Amanda tells how she suffered a horrific cycling accident that left her in the ‘most pain of her life’ and required emergency surgery

It comes as Amanda explains she had a horrific cycling accident that left her with the ‘most pain of her life’ and required emergency surgery.

Speaking in an interview on Sunday, he recalled how he crashed into a wall at speed while riding his bike.

While on holiday with his wife Caroline in 2022, Amanda suffered a broken collarbone that required surgery.

He said: ‘We were in a camper van in the Loire Valley and decided to go cycling on the last day.

‘Caroline accidentally hit my wheel which sent me crashing headfirst into a flint wall. ‘I was wearing a helmet but I realized I had to turn my body or I would break my neck.’

After ‘breaking her shoulder’ on a rock, Amanda learned she needed surgery to repair her broken bone.

continued Sun: ‘My shoulder hit the hard rock. I’ve never been in this much pain. I had to be pumped full of morphine.’

Amanda said that although she was “fine” doing the challenges in The Traitors, she was still experiencing “pains” after having metal inserted into her collarbone.

Traitors continues on Wednesday at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.