AFTER LOSING OUT IN THE TRAITORS' FINAL NMOLLIE PEARCE THE MODEL REVEALS HOW SHE IS USING THE SPOTLIGHT TO INSPIRE OTHERS

‘I never thought I was going to win.  Spreading awareness about stomas meant more to me’

- EMMY GRIFFITHS

Smiling broadly as she adjusts her long hair before striking a pose in our exclusive photoshoot, it’s clear Mollie Pearce is back in her comfort zone. The resilient 22-year-old had the nation watching through their fingers in horror as she was taken in by treacherous Harry in the finale of the BBC’s smash hit series The Traitors last week, finishing as runner-up.

But although many would struggle to bounce back from such a crushing moment – and the associated loss of a potential fortune – Harry’s betrayal is nothing compared with what she has already had to contend with in her life, and she’s got it all in perspective now.

“I never went in there thinking I was going to win,” she tells hello!. “Getting my story out there, spreading some awareness about stomas, meant more to me than actually winning.”

From the age of 11, Mollie struggled with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory condition that had a dramatic impact on her health, leaving her constantly ill and unable to lead a normal life. At 18, her condition became so serious that she needed surgery to remove her colon, leaving her with a stoma bag.

“Before the surgery, I struggled to come to terms with the fact that I was going to have a bag for the rest of my life. But I’ve been given a taste of life,” she says. “I would rather have this bag stuck to me forever than go back to how I was living before.”

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