In a recent interview with the Tipperary Star, the local star of The Traitors Ireland Season 1 Eamon O'Keeffe opened up about his time on the show, his aggressive tactics as a Traitor, the on-screen fallout with fellow Traitor and retired prison officer Paudie, but also the tirade of online abuse that followed his five-episode stint on RTÉ One.
The first episode of the programme, watched live on RTÉ One by over 600,000 viewers, saw Cahir native Eamon O’Keeffe selected by Siobhán McSweeney to be a Traitor; a choice that the self-confessed TV villain couldn’t have been happier with.
"People were always going to love me or hate me, I think the majority hate me, but I gave them a great moment when I went out, and that’s what it’s all about," O'Keeffe told the Tipperary Star.
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However even O'Keeffe himself was surprised at the threatening and rash messages he received for his self-confessed pantomime villain-esque style of game play throughout the first half of the season.
Mnay pointed to his treatment of and willingness to backstab fellow Traitors Katelyn Divilly and Paudie Moloney (pictured with Eamon during filming below)
"The idea that someone will sit down, pick up their phone, and send someone a lot of personal abuse over what is a TV show and essentially a bit of fun entertainment, I don’t understand that mentality at all.
"I loved not having access to my phone throughout filming, and I have seen the backlash directed towards me since. I’ve been getting really personal crap in my dms, including pictures of my daughter and everything.
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"What makes me angry is this whole social media and trolling element. Of course I was aware of it, but now that I’m in the middle of it, I can see how it drives people mad.
"That someone will sit in their mother’s box bedroom upstairs, no face on their account, and send somebody a load of abuse and personal stuff, they just can’t grasp reality at all.
"This is a real microcosm of what can happen, I can’t even imagine what someone ultra famous must go through anytime they pick up their phone."
The Traitors S1 cast will reunite in Dublin to watch the finale together next week.
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