Appearing on reality TV can open a lot of doors – it can also open the floodgates to a whole world of bullies and trolls.
But to Traitors star Paul Gorton, that was nothing new. The 36-year-old has been targeted by bullies all his life, simply for having ginger hair.
He says: "I realised I was different when I was at primary school and I stuck out like a sore thumb.
"As I got older, the negative comments kicked in. I had to develop a thick skin as soon as possible. I tried to go along with the joke, even though I was the butt of the joke, which is complicated to look back on.”
Now Paul is using his experiences to help others and to raise awareness of the impact of bullying by becoming an ambassador of the National Bullying Helpline, which gets 5,000 clicks a day.
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Paul Gorton (left) with his Dad Keith and brother Kevin (Paul Gorton)
Paul spoke to the Mirror about the abuse (Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)Paul says of his own experience: "The problem is that people don’t take ‘gingerism’ seriously, but it can really affect people and I want those who are suffering cruel taunts at the hands of bullies to know that there is help and that I understand what they are going through.”
Father-of-one Paul’s own traumatic memories resurfaced recently when a child’s friend revealed he had been teased over his ginger hair.
Paul Gorton spoke to the Mirror about the horrendous abuse he faced (Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)He says: "I was really triggered recently as my friend’s young son was bullied for having ginger hair.
"It made me realise it’s still going on. Bullying someone for their hair colour is not OK. This boy is a bright kid and received an award at school recently, but when the headteacher came to give it to him, he remarked he wasn’t sure if he should receive it because of his hair.
"The lad came home upset and asked his dad if that was a normal thing. The idea that’s happening today is a disgrace. A teacher should know that’s not a joke to make to a young kid.”
Recalling one of his own experiences, he adds: “I was in a youth club minding my own business and someone came over and headbutted me.
Paul, Claudia Winkleman and winner Harry Clarkec (Not known)"I remember going home and crying but still didn’t tell my parents about it. A lot of stuff I locked away, but when I look at it, it was a travesty, it was awful.”
Paul also recalls a shocking comment from the midwife when his son Charlie was born – she said how lucky the baby was not to have his dad’s hair. His partner, Kate Waldron, 34, a model and influencer, had a prolonged labour and multiple complications after a stressful pregnancy.
Paul says: "Doctors wanted to induce her, which didn’t go well, it basically didn’t work.
"Kate really wanted a natural birth and rejected an epidural. It was just really traumatic and tough. We were in hospital for six or seven days, she was in a hell of a lot of pain and stress.
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"On the day she went into labour, she had to have an epidural and, after she gave birth, she was so exhausted that she passed out as she lost so much blood. It was so incredibly stressful, there were points that I thought she or Charlie would die.
"A traumatic entry into the world and I remember the midwife saying something like: ‘Oh and he’s not ginger like you, what a relief’.
Paul's partner Kate had a traumatic birth (Paul Gorton)
The 36-year-old was stunned when the midwife commented on his son Charlie's hair (Paul Gorton)"And I remember thinking ‘how do you think that’s a normal thing to say to any dad? Never mind a dad who experienced what I did.’”
Paul, who received thousands of tweets and became the subject of memes after appearing on Traitors, with most of the show’s six million viewers becoming obsessed with his smug scheming, says his childhood experience of bullying helped him to cope with the pressure.
He explains: "Looking back, I think I developed a sense of humour from the bullying.
"I literally don’t think I would be the person I am if I wasn’t ginger. When I told my parents about the National Bullying Helpline yesterday, they had no clue I was bullied.
"Now I have to think about the kids out there who don’t have a thick skin and are being bullied. I was ashamed to speak to my family, and I want that to change for others.”
(Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)One of Paul’s co-contestants on the BBC reality show, model and disability activist Mollie Pearce received a social media backlash after she failed to uncloak the eventual winner, Harry Clark.
After losing out on her chance to win the £95,000 prize, Mollie was forced quit X, formerly known as Twitter, by some online barracking.
Paul says: "It drives me mad that people are forced off of platforms, I hate the idea
of abuse doing that. You are being bullied off a medium where people want to see what you’re doing, it’s sad.
"Everyone has got a story to tell.”
Roughly 4% of the UK population, or 2.1 million people, have red hair.
Christine Pratt, founder of the National Bullying Helpline, said: “We don’t have stats specifically related to people who have been bullied for being ginger, however it appears to becoming a more common problem.
“We had a case where a family of ginger-haired children were targeted and also a person who didn’t get a job because of his ginger hair.
“The issue of ‘gingerism’ is not really taken seriously, unlike other forms of bullying, but it is just as damaging to mental health.”
An NBH spokesperson added: “Paul has vision and purpose and his objective is to help us combat one particular aspect of anti-social behaviour that is often underestimated.”
- For help visit nationalbullying helpline.co.uk
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