Matthew Hyndman's private life away from The Traitors – including huge commitment after the show

Matthew, 35, was born in Northern Ireland and grew up on a farm, sparking his love for nature and the great outdoors. The creative director of Good Fowk now lives in Edinburgh, after spending time in London, and often shares snaps of himself enjoying the outdoors in various locations. 

In an interview with the BBC, Matthew shared his excitement about being the first Northern Irish man to appear on the show. "I've worked in an office in London, and people don't really know anything about Northern Ireland, and they don't know much about what it means to be Northern Irish, so the view that they do have on me and my accent is probably going to benefit me."

When asked what he'd spend the prize money on should he win, Matthew said he'd want to buy "a little cottage in the Highlands", as well as use it to pay for a wedding with his partner.

Matthew spent time campaigning for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland, which was officially legalised in 2020. So when he and his partner got engaged during COVID, he initially didn't think he wanted to get married, but later changed his mind.

"Having campaigned for marriage equality in Northern Ireland, I think that's a better story for the last Round Table if I get there because it's not cool to go against the gay who wants to get married!" Matthew said. "I think that I would probably say that I'm going to get married back home in Northern Ireland on my family farm. And then if I win, I might just have to do that."

Campaigning for same-sex marriage isn't the only social issue Matthew has come in contact with over the years. 

In 2015, the then 24-year-old was working as a missionary with 400 other young people travelling the world. While he was managing "huge" worship events as a personnel manager, Matthew was also wrestling with his sexuality – one he'd been told would lead to his "eternal damnation" all his life. 

When private WhatsApp messages discussing his sexuality were leaked to 100 members of his congregation back in Northern Ireland, Matthew was pressured into undergoing conversion therapy, which aims to suppress an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity.

In 2021, Matthew reflected on the experience in The Independent, penning: "The first reaction of the mission leaders was not to comfort or support me, but to immediately demand that I undergo therapy and publicly, in front of my 400 fellow missionaries, confess and repent." 

Matthew refused, writing: "I am glad that I had the strength of mind to refuse, and recognise that I didn't need to change or 'cure' myself. Somehow I got myself to London, where I found people who would help me build a new life and a new community. Now nothing remains from my old life except, after two years of silence, my family."

Six months later, Matthew received a letter from one of his old churches cancelling his membership due to his "lifestyle choices". 

Five years after receiving the letter, Matthew and his friend Harry Hitchens launched Ban Conversion Therapy, which works with Stonewall and other LGBT+ organisations and charities to campaign for a ban on all conversion therapy across the UK.

"These degrading and discriminatory 'treatments' ruin the lives of LGBT+ people," Matthew wrote. "We must outlaw them now."

Despite government pledges in 2018 and again in 2024, conversion practices are yet to be banned through legislation in the UK, and Matthew hopes his appearance on The Traitors will help raise further awareness.