Exclusive:
Married At First Sight UK star Erica Roberts and The Traitors’ Meryl Williams have teamed up for a new podcast, You and Me, where they discuss all things life and terrible exes
Reality TV stars Erica Roberts and Meryl Williams have joined forces to launch their sizzling new podcast, ‘You and Me’, where they dish the dirt on everything from Edinburgh life to disastrous exes and the trials of the dating world. Erica, 26, hailing from Edinburgh, shot to fame on the 2023 edition of Married At First Sight UK, where she walked down the aisle with Jordan Gayle. Despite a seemingly smooth romance on-screen, the couple parted ways months after the show concluded.
Meryl, 28, clinched victory in the first series of The Traitors and, although originally from South Africa, she now calls Edinburgh her home. The two met at a glitzy event and instantly clicked. Post-breakup, Erica is diving back into the dating pool, seeking someone who’s “actually genuine”, but finds most men “boring”. Meryl shares her own struggles, commenting on the difficulty of making friends in your twenties. In an exclusive chat with OK!, the duo open up about the realities of reality TV, the quest for love, and their blossoming friendship….
Hi, both! Erica, what are your thoughts on the latest series of MAFS UK?
Erica: Maybe it’s a bit more controversial now, but if it wasn’t for the new intruder Hannah [Norburn] coming in I probably would have turned it off because I was getting bored. They were dragging out storylines for weeks and I think they were doing that because there just wasn’t enough drama going on. But now, after the last few episodes, I’m like, “OK, we’re getting somewhere now,” because realistically, I know they’re there to find love, but it is a TV show and we want to see the drama! I think we need to start a petition to make MAFS five days a week, not four, because we need more.
Are you in touch with your ex Jordan at all?
Erica: Absolutely not. We haven’t spoken at all since we broke up. It’s a weird one because I’ve never had to go through a break-up like that before and I just wanted to deal with it by myself.
Are you back in the dating game now? Or are you giving it a break?
Erica: I’ve dabbled. I’ve been on a couple of dates. I can’t do it. They’re all boring. I can’t find anyone that’s actually genuine. Everyone wants to play games. They think the grass is greener on the other side. Maybe I just need to marry a stranger again because that was easier.
Meryl, are you seeing anyone?
Meryl: No. Erica is going to set me up a dating profile, so you might be able to hear all my dating stories then, if I have any.
Do you keep in touch with anyone from your season of The Traitors?
Meryl: We’re still all in a group chat, and I still see Aaron [Evans]. Alyssa Chan’s moved back to Edinburgh and her best friend Ben is one of our best friends. And Wilfred [Webster] called me yesterday. We all touch base.
Tell us more about your new podcast, You & Me…
Erica: It basically follows our friendship and we tell all of our crazy stories. But it also gives people a chance to get to know us on a deeper level. I don’t think the shows really gave a good representation of us and what we’re like as people.
Meryl: People know us from being on TV, but they don’t really know the real us. But most importantly, the podcast is really funny. We’d love to take it on the road some day.
Were you nervous or excited about people listening to your deepest, darkest secrets?
Erica: When we filmed the first episode, I had to give Meryl a shake [laughs]. She was so nervous and I totally got it because we put a lot of pressure on it doing well.
Meryl: It was exciting, though. We’re very critical of one another. We’re quite cut-throat when it comes to feedback.
Have you had a positive response to it so far? You don’t always get that with reality TV…
Erica: It’s been amazing, I didn’t expect it to be honest. One person actually commented, “Erica, you’ve become a lot more likeable since becoming friends with Meryl.”
Meryl: I’m taking credit for that!
You mentioned that you didn’t feel accurately portrayed on your TV shows. Was that your reason for the podcast?
Erica: Yeah, I guess so. Even when I was watching the edit of MAFS, I realised very quickly that I was going to have to take things into my own hands. It was up to me to portray my true self and who I am as a person because I don’t think what was shown on screen was fair. So when Meryl and I became friends and realised how many funny stories we had to share between us, we thought the podcast would be a good idea.
Meryl: With my show too, we had 22 contestants but only 12 episodes so that’s a lot to get through. I felt people didn’t really get to see my personality and they’d say, “You’re so quiet,” when I’m the exact opposite.
What else do you reveal on the podcast?
Erica: Well, I completely expose myself with all my dating stories, break-ups, my history with terrible men, you name it – things that all girls can relate to because, if I’m honest, I think dating in this generation is like being in the trenches.
Meryl: We also answer dilemmas from listeners and give advice. Nothing is off limits and we want people to get involved. We also give our take on what goes on behind the scenes on reality TV, which I don’t think is talked about enough. I’d love to bring on some of my Traitors co-stars at some point.
Erica: We also have some people from this series of MAFS UK lined up. You’ll get all the tea soon.!
You can listen to the You & Me Podcast with Meryl & Erica on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts every Tuesday and they also have a juicy bonus You & Me Spill The Tea episode every Thursday on Patreon
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