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Traitors: Jonny compares watching show to Afghanistan service

Studio Lambert/BBC Jonny HollowayStudio Lambert/BBC
Jonny Holloway said his favourite shows are Only Fools and Horses and Porridge but was gripped by the first series of Traitors

A contestant from The Traitors said watching the TV competition brought back memories from his time in Afghanistan.

Jonny Holloway, from Luton, was deployed to Afghanistan in 2013.

He had to have his leg amputated when his vehicle was hit by an explosive device.

The Traitors star said watching Thursday's episode, where he was eliminated from the show, reminded him of his experience.

Jonny Holloway Jonny Holloway in AfghanistanJonny Holloway
Jonny Holloway sustained a brain injury which affects his short-term memory and he was later diagnosed with PTSD

"When I was injured in Afghanistan and evacuated out of the area, my guys were still pinned down for another three hours under fire.

"Knowing my guys were still there fighting the fight... it was just so hard to not be there and carry on the journey.

"I was so surprised that memory came back to me watching people around the round table getting upset after I left, I just found it so hard to watch.

"Watching it back in that sense was difficult but lovely," he said.

Mr Holloway was injured as he rode in the lead vehicle of a patrol in a known Taliban stronghold. He survived the ambush but his injuries meant he eventually had his left leg amputated below the knee in 2016.

Jonny Holloway Jonny Holloway in AfghanistanJonny Holloway
The Traitors competitor spent eight years in the army
Studio Lambert The contestants from series 2 of The TraitorsStudio Lambert
Mr Holloway hoped his experience would give him the observation skills to do well in The Traitors

Mr Holloway said getting recognised by fans in the Bedfordshire village he lives in had been "absolutely surreal".

One night while visiting his local corner shop, he was recognised by a group of builders who excitedly started shouting his name.

"My self esteem isn't as strong as it comes across, in my head I always feel like I've upset someone or done the wrong things, so to see people being really positive... has been strange but lovely."

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