By Peter Harris

Copyright walesonline

The much-anticipated special edition of Celebrity Traitors is finally set to grace our screens. A host of familiar faces will enter the iconic castle for the popular BBC series, assuming the roles of either Faithful or Traitor. This includes personalities from the realms of entertainment, sport, music, television and beyond. Among the confirmed participants is Irish actress Ruth Codd. The 29 year old made her professional acting debut in 2022, starring in Netflix’s thriller series The Midnight Club. She has since featured in other Mike Flanagan-created series for the platform, including The Fall of the House of Usher. Her acting credits also include Sky TV’s Small Town, Big Story and the live-action remake of How To Train Your Dragon. In The Midnight Club, she portrayed Anya, Ilonka’s roommate and a member of the eponymous club. Her character, who had a right lower leg amputation due to bone cancer and used a wheelchair for mobility, resonated with many viewers, reports the Daily Record . Before her acting career took off, she worked as a makeup artist but lost her job during the Covid pandemic. Turning to TikTok, she began posting videos that caught the public’s attention, leading to audition invitations. Fans may know that in real life, the star did indeed have her leg amputated at a young age, a personal experience she has previously shared. Born in Wexford, Ireland, Ruth hurt herself whilst playing football as a teenager and sustained a serious foot injury at the age of 15. Following multiple operations and enduring chronic pain, she ultimately decided at 23 to have her leg amputated. She has since mastered using a prosthetic limb and continues utilising her platforms to highlight disability awareness. In an interview with the Irish Examiner during 2022, Ruth described her injury as amongst her most significant life obstacles, claiming it consumed ‘eight years of her life.’. She explained: “My injury is the greatest challenge I’ve faced in my life so far. I injured it playing soccer at the age of 15. It never healed correctly so until I was 23, I was on and off crutches, getting loads of operations. “Because of nerve damage and chronic pain, I chose to get it amputated. It took eight years of my life, constantly going in and out of hospital.” She added: “My whole life revolved around trying to heal my leg. For years, I didn’t see it getting any better. I was stuck in a really bad mindset and I was pi**** off at life. When I made the decision to amputate it, things finally started to turn around. It was a relief. I could get on my life. “I was just messing around in school and fell over playing soccer, which is the worst part because I don’t even like soccer. At least I could have gone out in blaze of glory doing something that I loved but – no!” The Celebrity Traitors begins on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm tonight.