The Traitors Ireland finalist Pauric O has claimed he was living ‘rent-free’ in fellow player Kayleigh’s head after she repeatedly criticised him during the show.

Teacher Kayleigh, 33, branded the Tipperary musician ‘irritating’ and ‘the bane of my existence’ during the hit programme which wound up on Tuesday night with postal worker Anna and physician associate Diego emerging victorious.

Pauric O narrowly missed out, as Anna and Diego banished him at the Fire Pit to secure the €45,850 prize pot between them.

In interviews after the show, the Tipperary musician said that he harboured no ill feelings towards Kayleigh despite her openly taking issue with him.

He said: ‘It was one-sided. I have no negative things to say about anyone in that castle. I didn’t think about her once and I was living rent-free in her head.’

On discovering Pauric O was a traitor after she was banished, Kayleigh had said to the cameras ‘you could keep me until the next series of the Traitors’ and she would still not say ‘a good thing about Pauric O’.

‘My God, that bloke has been the bane of my existence in this castle. I found him so annoying. I found him so irritating. I had to pretend to be interested in his music, I had to pretend to be interested in him to try and keep him on side,’ she added.

In another episode she told her fellow players, ‘If I were his girlfriend, I’d have him by the f*****g balls’ after the two butted heads in a tense challenge.

Pauric O appeared unbothered by her criticism when asked about it after the show, saying, ‘If people don’t like me, that is their own prerogative.’

When he was asked whether they were friends now after leaving the castle, he replied ‘ask her’.

He said: ‘If you like me, I’m very confident that you love me. You know what I mean? I’m that kind of person. If you get to know me, you will love me.’