Edinburgh winner of The Traitors, Meryl Williams, hid in the toilets on a train from teens after they ‘laughed and took videos of her’.
Meryl, who has dwarfism, said she only recently found the confidence to travel by train. On a journey to London, she posted a video to TikTok saying that she was hiding in the toilet until Durham – where she knew the teens were getting off.
After the group made ‘jokes at her expense and took images of her’, Meryl said her fellow passengers ‘witnessed it and said nothing’. She asked viewers to ‘be nicer and kinder’.
READ MORE –Tributes to East Lothian dad who was musician, window cleaner and ‘helped others’
READ MORE –Suspect questioned on death of Scottish mum in Greece 16 years ago
The 28-year-old social media influencer won the reality series in 2022. Speaking in the clip, she said: “I’m currently hiding in the toilets on the train down to London, away from four teenagers that are sat opposite me and giving me abuse.
“I think living with my condition, or having this condition, is something you can’t hide. People see you straight away, they notice you straight away.
“You’re just an easy target. They sat opposite me, and so far they’ve said that I need a step ladder to get on the train.
“They said I’m a midget. They’ve watched dwarf throwing.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
“They’ve taken videos of me, they’ve taken photos of me. They said I’ve got sausage fingers, and they’ve laughed at me.”
Meryl said the incidents happened within 10 minutes. She added that fellow passengers had ‘witnessed it and said nothing’.
She continued: “I know they’re getting off at Durham.
“I’m gonna wait in the toilet until the Durham stop and then I’ll go out after that.
“If you ever see someone that is different or has got a disability, please be nicer to them and please be kinder to them. I used to only ever drive for this exact reason.
Join Edinburgh Live’s Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
“I felt safe in my car, I was protected. Nobody could see me, no one could laugh at me or make fun of me.
“I’ve recently just got my confidence to start going on the train.”
One follower commented: “That is awful Meryl, I hope you’re okay. You shouldn’t have to go through that.”
A second said: “I’m so sorry this happened to you Meryl, and sad that nobody came and told them where to go.”
A third posted: “I’m so sorry this happened to you, and even more sorry that no one had the courage to speak out against it and support you.”