Traitors star Jessie Stride credits stammer for making her 'resilient' as horrific school bullying emerges
The Faithful had to leave school after one heartbreaking incidentThe Traitors‘ Jessie Stride was viciously bullied at school for her stammer, it has emerged.
Jessie previously opened up about how she was cruelly tourmented in an emotionally-charged interview.
The star, who is a Faithful in this year’s series of the BBC show, recalled one heartbreaking incident in the playground.
Jessie revealed how she was surrounded by a huge crowd of bullies but was unable to shout for help due to her stutter.
The chat has come to light as Jessie spoke about having a stammer during an episode of The Traitors.
During Thursday night’s show, the 28-year-old hairdresser said: “Living with a stammer does make you resilient.
“I have learned to accept who I am. But it can be hard to try and get your voice heard.”
The Traitors’ Jessie bullied over stammer
Jessie gave an interview to the Daily Mail in 2017 when she was 20. In the chat, she revealed she had managed to audition for The X Factor after seeking alternative therapy.
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She told the publication that her mother first noticed she was having issues with her speech when she was four years old.
Jessie said the disorder didn’t affect her learning or friendships at primary school. But that all changed when she moved up to senior school.
She said: “My friends all turned against me and I had no one to talk to about what was happening to me.”
Jessie went on to recall a horrific incident that happened to her in the playground one day.
“Aged 12, I remember a group of 20 people surrounded me and were teasing me about my voice,” she said. “I was trying to shout, ‘help’, but couldn’t get the words out.
“It got so bad, to the point that I didn’t want to go to school because I couldn’t stand up for myself.”
Jessie says her parents pulled her out of the school and found a new one.
She explained how she formed new friends who would “camouflage” her speech disorder. They would answer questions for her in class and would even respond to her name in the register.
Jessie took solace in her bedroom, where she would sing for hours.
Like Pop Idol star Gareth Gates, she found her stammer would completely vanish when she opened her mouth to sing.
Jessie’s School for Stammerers appearance
When Jessie was 21, she appeared in the ITV documentary series, School for Stammerers.
The one-off documentary saw six people blighted by stammers take part in The McGuire Programme. Part of the intense therapy involved standing in a packed town centre and talking to a crowd of people.
Jessie was terrified at the prospect and was shown in the trailer for the documentary with her head in her hands.
But the course ended up having such a positive impact on her that, according to Jessie’s LinkedIn, she has since trained to be an instructor for The Maguire Programme.
Jessie is quoted on the organisation’s website, 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.”
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