Celebrity Traitors host Claudia Winkleman said that she was “worried sick” after almost ruining series one of the hit BBC show.
An all-star spin-off of the twist-filled reality show debuts on Wednesday (8 October) with a cast of famous faces, with Stephen Fry, Alan Carr, Clare Balding and Jonathan Ross among the many famous faces involved.
Traitors fans will be more than familiar with its tense and unique atmosphere, where even the slightest glance or movement can be viewed as a form of deception.
It’s nerve-wracking for the contestants, but as Winkleman revealed during a special Q&A screening of the new show, the tension can also get the better of her.
Speaking to journalist Scott Bryan, Winkleman said that it is “incredibly tense” when selecting who the traitors will be while circling the show’s iconic roundtable.
“The mood automatically changes the minute you walk into that room and I’m so nervous that anybody might hear me,” she said before revealing a potentially devastating mistake she almost made during the show’s debut.
“In series one, Wilf was wearing a jacket and I was so worried it was going to make a noise that I was almost sick, which wouldn’t have worked on any level,” she joked. “And I know that would have ruined the entire game. So I try to do my best. You can tell how nervous I am by just how much white lipstick I’m wearing and how orange I am.”
Wilfred “Wilf” Webster was a traitor in the very first season of the reality show and made it all the way to the final episode before being banished by his fellow contestants.
In a dramatic ending, Wilf revealed that he was the final traitor in the game, meaning that the three surviving contestants Aaron, Hannah and Meryl, were joint winners.
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The Traitors revolves around a large group of relative strangers who must complete tasks and spend time together in a Scottish castle. The three traitors, whose identities are kept secret, are tasked with killing off their fellow players without being caught, while the faithfuls must try and work out who the traitors are and banish them, before becoming a victim.
Now celebrities will try their hand and the popular reality show, which has already been adapted into series in the US, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Sweden.
The famous faces taking part are Stephen Fry, Kate Garraway, Alan Carr, Tom Daley, Joe Marler, Ruth Codd, Celia Imrie, Tameka Empson, Mark Bonnar, Paloma Faith, Charlotte Church, Cat Burns, Professor David Olusoga, Joe Wilkinson, Lucy Beaumont, Clare Balding, Jonathan Ross and Nick Mohammed and YouTuber Niko Omilana.
