The Traitors’ Jessie recalls horrific moment she was surrounded by 20 bullies as they tormented her about her stammer

The Faithful has spoken about her speech disorder on The Traitors

The Traitors‘ Jessie Stride endured cruel and traumatic bullying at school because of her stammer, it has come to light.

The 28-year-old, who is a Faithful in this year’s BBC series, previously opened up about her painful experiences in an emotional chat.

Jessie recalled a particularly terrifying moment in the playground when she was surrounded by bullies but unable to call for help because of her stutter.

Her candid reflections have emerged as she spoke about living with a stammer during a recent episode of The Traitors.
The Traitors’ Jessie Stride was cruelly tormented at school over her stammer (Credit: BBC)
“Living with a stammer does make you resilient,” Jessie said to the cameras in Ardross Castle on Thursday night.

“I have learned to accept who I am. But it can be hard to try and get your voice heard.”

Jessie Stride bullied over her speech

Back in 2017, Jessie gave a revealing interview to the Daily Mail.

Aged 20, she spoke about how alternative therapy meant she was able to audition for The X Factor despite her stammer.

Her mother first noticed issues with Jessie’s speech when she was four, she said. While her stammer didn’t affect her early friendships or schoolwork, everything changed in senior school.

“My friends all turned against me and I had no one to talk to about what was happening to me,” Jessie recalled to the newspaper.

She remembered a particularly cruel incident that would have been very traumatic.

“Aged 12, I remember a group of 20 people surrounded me and were teasing me about my voice,” she recalled. “I was trying to shout, ‘help’, but couldn’t get the words out.”

The bullying grew so severe that Jessie said she dreaded going to school because she couldn’t defend herself.

Her parents eventually moved her to a new school, where she found supportive friends who would answer questions for her and even respond to her name during registration.

Jessie found comfort singing alone in her bedroom. Like Pop Idol star Gareth Gates, she discovered her stammer disappeared when she sang.
Jessie appeared in ITV’s School for Stammerers in 2018 (Credit: YouTube/ ITV)

Jessie in School for Stammerers

At 21, Jessie appeared in the ITV documentary School for Stammerers. The show followed six people on The McGuire Programme, which included confronting crowds in a busy town centre.

Jessie admitted she was terrified and was shown in the trailer with her head in her hands. But the programme had a lasting impact.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Jessie has since trained as an instructor for The McGuire Programme, helping others overcome speech challenges.

On the organisation’s website, Jessie is quoted saying: “This course helped me not only improve my speech but to find myself as a person, and for that, I am forever grateful to every amazing grad who attended the course.”