The Traitors star Meryl Williams has said she is taunted by bullies when out in public.
Last week, Williams was crowned winner of the BBC One competition alongside fellow contestants Aaron Evans and Hannah Byschowski. The three split the £101,050 jackpot between them.
The 26-year-old is 4 ft and 2 inches tall and has achondroplasia.
Following her victory on The Traitors, Williams has described harrowing experiences that she has had to deal with on an everyday basis.
“Throughout school I was lucky and I was treated the same as everyone else, but in public I face discrimination on an everyday basis,” she told The Scottish Daily Express.
“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.”
Williams continued: “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.”
Williams recently spoke to Metro about her goals following her triumph on The Traitors, telling the publication that she would like to break into the television industry.
“I’d love to do presenting, something like that,” she said. “‘But I’m going to use the [jackpot] money for flexibility to try and get into that industry and keep on trying.
“It’s definitely going to give me some options now to try and use this time and definitely use this exposure to try and ride the wave.”
The Traitors, which is presented by Claudia Winkleman, is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
