The Celebrity Traitors returns to screens tomorrow night (October 1) for its second series, with Claudia Winkleman welcoming 21 new famous faces to the Scottish Highlands castle. Among the contestants is Last of Us star Bella Ramsey, who has opened up about a rare health disorder that left them unable to leave the house for months.
Bella Ramsey's emetophobia struggle
The 23-year-old, who is non-binary and uses them/they pronouns, suffers from emetophobia - the fear of vomiting or seeing others vomit. On The Louis Theroux Podcast, Ramsey revealed that the condition became so severe around age 13 that they were housebound.
"Everything was a threat. You go out and it's like you see germs, you see sickness everywhere. Terrifying," Ramsey said. "Every memory that I have of vomit, since nursery, is scary. I remember every single time anyone in my life has ever felt sick or been sick near me."
According to the NHS, the phobia affects around eight per cent of people in the UK and can result in anxiety and obsessive behaviour. Ramsey admitted their fear is "irrational" and that there was a point where they'd "rather die than throw up."
Autism diagnosis on set
Ramsey's condition began to make more sense when they were diagnosed with autism while on set of The Last of Us. In an interview with British Vogue, Ramsey recalled how a crew member with an autistic daughter identified similar traits in their behaviour.
Then 18-years-old, this led to an official psychiatric diagnosis, something they had "always wondered about." Ramsey said: "It enables me to walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do."
The neurodivergent star previously revealed they experience sensory issues and hyperawareness of others' micro-expressions. "I've always been watching and learning from people. Having to learn more manually how to socialise and interact with the people around me has helped me with acting," they said.
Favourite to win
According to ActionNetwork.com, Ramsey is already one of the favourites to win the series, with bookies placing them with the third highest odds to take home the jackpot charity prize. Ramsey's major breakthrough role came in Game of Thrones as Lyanna Mormont in 2016, but many viewers will recognise them as Ellie Williams in The Last of Us with Pedro Pascal.
Ramsey will make their debut on Celebrity Traitors tomorrow evening, where fans will discover whether they have been chosen as a Traitor. The Celebrity Traitors returns to the BBC on Thursday October 1 at 8pm.
