Star of The Traitors, Matthew Hyndman, champions Ban Conversion Therapy campaign

Matthew Hyndman, a contestant on BBC One’s hit series The Traitors, is using his growing public profile to spotlight a cause close to his heart: ending conversion therapy in the UK.

Hyndman, who co-founded the Ban Conversion Therapy coalition in 2020, has spoken openly about his own harrowing experience. At 24, while working as a missionary in Northern Ireland, private messages revealing his sexuality were shared with his church community. Under pressure, he was coerced into undergoing conversion therapy in front of hundreds of fellow missionaries - a period he describes as “a mental toll.”

“I am glad that I had the strength of mind to refuse, and recognise that I didn’t need to change or ‘cure’ myself,” Hyndman said. “For many, refusing conversion therapy means losing your family, faith, community, career, friends - your entire life.”

After resisting, Hyndman was expelled from his church, which cited his “lifestyle choices.” His experience inspired him to launch Ban Conversion Therapy alongside activist Harry Hitchens, with backing from LGBTQ+ organisations including Stonewall. The campaign calls for a comprehensive ban on all forms of conversion therapy, which remain legal despite repeated government pledges since 2018.

“These degrading and discriminatory ‘treatments’ ruin lives. We must outlaw them now,” Hyndman insists.

While the government promised draft legislation in late 2024, no bill has yet materialised. Hyndman hopes his visibility on The Traitors UK will amplify the urgency of the issue.