Latest news with #AshBibi
Daily Mirror
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
BBC The Traitors star signs up to First Dates after suffering 'difficult' romantic past
The Traitors series two star Ash Bibi is returning to TV one year on from her stint on the BBC competition - but this time, she's looking for love as she heads on First Dates The Traitors star Ash Bibi is swapping castle roundtables for restaurant rendezvous as she heads on Channel 4 's First Dates after almost four years away from the dating world. The 47-year-old, who rose to fame on The Traitors last year, goes on her first-ever blind date on the Channel 4 show tonight after struggling to meet the right person in the past. "I think I went on a date in 2022 - it's been at least three years. It's been nice getting back in the saddle because it's hard," she told The Mirror in an exclusive interview. "It's really difficult meeting people. Well, it's actually easy meeting people for me because I can talk to anybody - but in terms of what we want and what we need, it's harder to meet somebody in that sense." It comes after The Traitors' Leanne Quigley revealed she would marry her fiancée today but is waiting for sad reason. Ash, who hasn't married before, revealed that her dating dry period came about after becoming uninterested in online dating and struggling with the perimenopause. "I was online dating before online dating was a thing," she said. "I did that for a really long time - I started in the mid-2000s and it has just really changed a lot. The longer you're single, you get into your head. You're like, 'Can I be bothered to put up with this? I need a different quality here'. "Also, I'm at that stage where I'm going through perimenopause and this is just something I came to a realisation with recently. Your body is changing as a woman when you're my age and I'm like, 'Does this play a part subconsciously in how I feel comfortable out dating?' It's a combination of so many different things." Ash added that her ethos throughout her dating life has been not to waste time in relationships with people who "are not right" for her. "I've had relationships over the years, I've been in love. As women, we feel this societal and media pressure to be like when you're in your late 20s and early 30s, 'you need to get married, you need to have kids,'" she said. "I was going through that and I do wonder to myself, 'Did I let a couple get away?' But I got older, I just thought, 'I actually don't want that. Why am I pursuing something that I don't actually want?'" Instead, Ash turned to First Dates' maître d'hôtel Fred Sirieix to find her perfect match. "My approach to First Dates was, 'I just want to have an open mind.' I wanted to be open to whoever was presented to me," she said. While fans will need to tune in tonight to find out what happens, Ash admits that it was nowhere near as stressful as her time on The Traitors. "There's nothing like that roundtable. I wouldn't say First Dates is scary," she said. "I was really, really nervous because I've never been on a blind date ever in my life but they make you feel so welcome and it's such a beautiful atmosphere. The staff are amazing." Ash took part in series two of The Traitors, being chosen as one of the original Traitors - however, she left the competition in episode five after being banished by her fellow co-stars. With Celebrity Traitors set to air later this year, Ash has some advice for the stars taking part. "I think this advice would be for anybody at any time - whether they're going on Traitors or going on a first date. You have to just try and relax and be yourself. That's it. Whatever the universe has in store for you, the universe has in store." She added: "Don't ask me to pick a favourite because there's so many people on that line-up that I am absolutely obsessed with, but I do want Alan Carr to do well. Fingers crossed, Alan!"
Irish Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Traitors star opens up about 'violent childhood'
The Traitors UK star Ash Bibi has opened up about her violent childhood and living in a women's refuge when she was a teenager. The 47-year-old, who spent five years living in Dublin, appeared on the hit show hosted by Claudia Winkleman, last year. Ash has now opened up about her traumatic childhood in hopes of shining a light on issues surrounding domestic abuse. She said she was nine years old when she realised that her home was not a safe place. "I spent my childhood lying awake, terrified that the next scream I heard would mean something terrible, and that I would be in the firing line again," she said. Ash said she lived in fear as she was forbidden from engaging with the outside world, having friends or expressing her interests. She confided in her school teachers, but said that while they were supportive, the community organisations she was linked with were not. "These organisations told me to stay compliant, to be a 'good girl', rather than offering any real solutions," she explained. "I quickly understood that their advice did not reflect an understanding of the situation I was living through." Ash said she was 13 when she reached a turning point, contacting ChildLine for the first time. "I was terrified, but I knew I had to get help from somewhere. They advised me to speak to a trusted adult, so I confided in my science teacher." She was once again linked in with community support, and when she turned 16, she left home and went into a women's refuge. "Stepping into that refuge was the first time I felt a sense of security. The refuge not only provided safety but also resources for her emotional healing." She was also linked with a police officer who specialised in young women escaping abuse. "He was a vital resource, guiding me and ensuring my safety," she explained, adding that she felt haunted by the fact she had to leave her younger sister behind. "I had to put my safety first, but the guilt of leaving my sister alone in that environment was overwhelming." The Birmingham-born TV star added that for victims, there are still barriers to accessing help. "My past is not just my story, it represents many who are still suffering in silence today. "It is crucial that we confront these issues head-on, realising that cultural and social barriers often silence victims. "We need to create more widely accessible support systems for girls and young women who feel trapped, no matter their background," she continued. "If there is anybody right now who is trapped in a situation like I was, I want them to know there is always a way out, even when it seems impossible."
Sunday World
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Dublin Traitors star opens up about violent childhood and living in a women's refuge
Ash Bibi appeared on season 2 of the BBC show The 47-year-old, who spent five years living in Dublin, appeared on the Traitors UK last year. She was eliminated from the show in episode five when her fellow contestants correctly guessed that she was a traitor. Ash is now opening up about her traumatic childhood in hopes of shining a light on issues surrounding domestic abuse. She said she was nine years old when she realised that her home was not a safe place. "I spent my childhood lying awake, terrified that the next scream I heard would mean something terrible, and that I would be in the firing line again,' she said. Ash said she lived in fear as she was forbidden from engaging with the outside world, having friends or expressing her interests. She confided in her school teachers, but said that while they were supportive, the community organisations she was linked with were not. "These organisations told me to stay compliant, to be a 'good girl', rather than offering any real solutions,' she explained. Read more 'I quickly understood that their advice did not reflect an understanding of the situation I was living through.' Ash said she was 13 when she reached a turning point, contacting ChildLine for the first time. "I was terrified, but I knew I had to get help from somewhere. They advised me to speak to a trusted adult, so I confided in my science teacher." She was once again linked in with community support, and when she turned 16, she left home and went into a women's refuge. 'Stepping into that refuge was the first time I felt a sense of security. The refuge not only provided safety but also resources for her emotional healing.' She was also linked with a police officer who specialised in young women escaping abuse. 'He was a vital resource, guiding me and ensuring my safety,' she explained, adding that she felt haunted by the fact she had to leave her younger sister behind. 'I had to put my safety first, but the guilt of leaving my sister alone in that environment was overwhelming.' The Birmingham-born TV star said that for victims, there are still barriers to accessing help. 'My past is not just my story, it represents many who are still suffering in silence today. 'It is crucial that we confront these issues head-on, realising that cultural and social barriers often silence victims. 'We need to create more widely accessible support systems for girls and young women who feel trapped, no matter their background,' she continued. 'If there is anybody right now who is trapped in a situation like I was, I want them to know there is always a way out, even when it seems impossible'.
