Mollie Pearce, who narrowly missed out on the top spot in the second series of The Traitors, is set to return to our screens in ITV’s Dancing On Ice, which kicks off on January 12. Despite being deceived by fellow contestant Harry Clark into believing he was a fellow Faithful, leading him to bag the £95,150 prize, Mollie’s journey is nothing short of remarkable.
Born without fingers on her right hand, she faced another hurdle at age 11 when she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease that can cause severe pain, as well as diarrhoea and bleeding, which left her “struggling to leave the house.”
Speaking to The Sun, Mollie revealed: “I struggled to leave the house, because I had bad anxiety about not making it to the toilet in time – which I sometimes didn’t when I was really ill.”
Mollie has picked up enough modelling work to allow her to ditch her zero-hours healthcare job
(Image: Instagram/ @mollie_pearcee)
At 18, she underwent a seven-hour surgery to remove her colon and divert the end of her small bowel into a stoma bag, which she affectionately named “Sid,” worn on the outside of her abdomen.
Despite these challenges, Mollie has lived life to the fullest, even landing modelling gigs with Vogue, Kurt Geiger, and Bodyform, reports Surrey Live.
Mollie says the stoma has revolutionised her life: “The first time I went out with my dad to a McDonald’s drive-thru [after having the stoma], I remember not feeling panicked about needing the toilet. It was magic!”
Mollie is on good terms with Traitors Series 2 winner Harry Clarke despite his deception
(Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)
Mollie told the BBC: “I’m very proud of Sid. He’s helped me in a lot of ways.”
A lively island hopping adventure around Greece with her boyfriend gave Mollie the confidence to apply for The Traitors. She admits she wouldn’t have considered such a challenge prior to her surgery: “I loved the physical missions,” she says.
“They were such a good break from all the mind games and it was a really good bonding experience. Sid’s given me the kind of option to do these things.”
She also revealed that she can now enjoy a curry and a glass of wine with her friends – something unimaginable a few years ago.
Before her surgery, she confessed : “I wouldn’t have been able to do a show like The Traitors or Dancing On Ice. It feels like a massive accomplishment to show people there is life after bowel surgery.”