The Scottish winner of the new BBC hit show The Traitors has spoken out and said the win was "never about the money" adding that she "wants to see more people like me on TV" to defy bullies who mock her dwarfism and even film her in public.
Meryl Williams is 4ft 2in and has achondroplasia - so her torso is average height but her legs and arms are shorter. She said at school she wasn't treated differently however out in public admits she is often mocked and laughed at.
The 26-year-old entered the BBC gameshow, which concluded its epic finale last week, because she was sick of only seeing people with dwarfism in pantos, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
Meryl, living in Edinburgh , had recently left her job in a call centre to pursue her TV dreams and show her condition doesn't define her. The fashion fan believes she is one of the first people with achondroplasia to ever win a TV game show.
She said: "When I would the show I was in complete and utter shock, and I never expected this outcome.
“People went into the show with a game strategy, but I thought you couldn’t predict what we were going to face on Traitors, so I just went in as myself.
“I wanted to be the same person on the show and in the castle as I am on the outside. When I got to the final there were only five contestants left and I kept telling myself ‘Just keep going, just keep going’.
“I never wanted to get ahead of myself, so I never said to myself I could win during the games. It was never about the money for me, it was just about the experience.“I hope it empowers people to never stop trying despite their disabilities and I want to be to educate people about my condition and show the world it doesn’t stop you from doing anything."
Filmed in a Scottish Highland castle , the team members of the public work together in a bid to accumulate a cash prize of as much as £120,000. However, there is one twisted catch - it can only be claimed through the "ultimate game of detection, backstabbing and trust."
Hosted by Strictly presenter Claudia Winkleman , the BBC show became so popular it was confirmed to be renewed for a second season before the finale even landed on December 22.
And Meryl was crowned the winner of the 2022 show after battling five contestants in a final secret mission where she was tasked with driving around a speedboat to different islands to search for keys. The keys then opened boxes which put her one step closer to winning the prize money.
She added: "Throughout school I was lucky and I was treated the same as everyone else, but in public I face discrimination on an every day basis.
"There's not enough awareness of my condition. I think people often see some sort of hilarity in it because often dwarfs are in pantomimes and because of the Oompa-Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
"A lot of people are taken aback - they point and laugh. I've had people film me and hysterically laugh when I'm doing a weekly shop.
"I feel on edge when I walk past a group of teenage boys, and don't leave the house on my own. People sometimes mistake me for a child and ask where my mum is.
"I get frustrated because people wouldn't treat people with other disabilities in this way. I can't wake up one day and be 5ft 5in. It does get disheartening and if you're having a bad day it makes it ten times worse. I decided to enter Traitors to defy the odds and prove to the people that I can do everything they can. I want to see more people like me on TV.
Meryl was born in South Africa but her mum, Heather, 58, emigrated to the UK when she was six-years-old for a better life. She lives independently with her two Pomeranians - but refuses to cook with gran around the corner.
Her gran, Sherryl, 82, is her best friend and personal seamstress who alters all her clothes so they fit a petite stature. On nights out, she says her best friends are her "body-guards" and often have to confront people who intimidate her.
"Sometimes I don't want to retaliate but other times I think it's important to educate people and question what they say to me," added Meryl.
"People think we're not normal. I know there's no such thing, but I drive, do the food shopping, walk my dogs and do the same things as everyone else.
"I hate cooking and it's so much effort to get the stool out and climb into cupboards so most the time I go round to my gran's."
READ NEXT:
Upset Edinburgh residents fight to save local ponds after land goes up for sale
Forgotten Edinburgh statues from lost mansion will stand in new council scheme
Navigating Edinburgh's Leith Walk 'like playing Russian roulette' for the blind
Inside ghost shopping centre near Edinburgh that lies abandoned 25 years after opening
Scotland could be able to see Northern Lights become visible on Boxing Day
