Claudia Winkleman has revealed she was reprimanded by BBC bosses after accidentally giving away clues to contestants on The Celebrity Traitors.
Speaking to the Daily Mail ahead of Thursday night’s episode, the presenter, 53, admitted that hosting a celebrity edition has tested her discipline, as she’s far more familiar with the contestants than in the civilian series.
The TV star, who has teamed up with the National Lottery to shine a light on good causes around the country, also confessed that she and her family have a particular soft spot for one Faithful, who is still going strong in the current run of the hit show.
During Wednesday night’s episode, she warned the celebrity cast, including Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr and Cat Burns, who are playing the Traitors, that they needed to raise their game after four Faithfuls had already been eliminated.
Olympic diver Tom Daley, EastEnders star Tameka Empson and YouTuber Niko Omilana were the latest players to be either murdered or banished from the Scottish castle as Claudia revealed that her trio of Traitors had been laughing at the Faithfuls’ faltering efforts.
She admitted that maintaining her professionalism and trademark poker face has been trickier during the UK’s first celebrity series, revealing that producers even had to remind her not to give too much away.
Claudia Winkleman has revealed she was reprimanded by BBC bosses after accidentally giving away clues to contestants on The Celebrity Traitors
Speaking to the Daily Mail ahead of Thursday night’s episode, the presenter admitted that hosting a celebrity edition has tested her discipline, as she’s far more familiar with the stars
During Wednesday night’s episode, she warned the celebrity cast, including Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr and Cat Burns, who are playing the Traitors, that they needed to raise their game
Claudia said: ‘The biggest challenge is being strict. All I wanted to do was chat and be friendly, but my role is aloof and grumpy.
‘I found it hard not to just sit down with them and have a cup of tea.
‘My family and I are obsessed with Joe Wilkinson. I had to stop myself from getting his autograph for my son.
‘I am desperate to help them all the time. Sometimes I try and drop big clues, but my producer tells me off.’
Asked how hosting the celebrity version compares to the regular series, she added: ‘I think it was scarier, because all I wanted to do was chat to them and make them like me. But of course, I have to be extremely unlikable. It was tricky.’
The first-ever celebrity series has gone down a storm in the ratings, with 6.5 million viewers tuning into the launch show.
So far, five celebrities have left the series, all of whom were Faithfuls, while Jonathan, Alan, and Cat remain undetected Traitors.
Although Claudia is seen choosing the Traitors during the opening episode, the decision is ultimately left to the producers once the stars have made their cases.
The TV host also confessed that she and her family have a particular soft spot for Joe Wilkinson and she had to resist asking the comedian for his autograph
YouTuber Niko Omilana was eliminated from the show after the other celebrities mistakenly identified him as a Traitor and he was banished
EastEnders star Tameka Empson was also wrongly sent packing during Wednesday night’s triple elimination
She said: ‘It’s not me that chooses. I do those chats with them, and they’re much longer than what you see on TV.
‘Lots of people were like, “No, I want to be a Faithful,” and then I go to a room with the bosses, and we work it out together. We don’t have long, but Alan said he wanted to be a ‘Traitor’, and they were compelling – how could you not?’
Claudia admits she gets ‘paranoid’ about ‘looking at the Traitors’ in case she gives away their identity, so she chooses to ‘look above everybody’s head.’
She’s been impressed with how the stars adapted to the game, calling them ‘incredibly smart and kind’.
This year’s cast also features Stephen Fry, Kate Garraway, Lucy Beaumont, and Charlotte Church, who is one of the stars at risk of being murdered in Thursday’s episode.
Singer Paloma Faith became the first celebrity to be ‘murdered’ in the game, eliminated in plain sight by her close friend Alan, which reportedly caused tension between the two in real life.
She added: ‘They play the game beautifully and were fully immersed in it. It was an extraordinary experience, and we’re so lucky that these nineteen said yes. It’s something we never take for granted, and we are so grateful for it.’
If Claudia had her way, the celebrity version might never have happened.
The host admits she was initially opposed to it but was glad to be proved wrong.
She said: ‘I was scared, only because I’m in love with this show and wanted to keep it small. Once a year, or maybe once every two years, felt like enough. My bosses, thank goodness, ignored everything I said.’
Claudia has revealed that the Traitors, who include singer Cat Burns this series, are chosen by the producers after the contestants have made their pleas
Olympic diver Tom Daley was murdered by the Traitors after they deemed him too smart so therefore a threat in the competition
Asked what it means to have celebrities on the show who are massive fans, she added: ‘It’s an absolute honour. I could barely breathe when I saw them all in the Highlands.
‘I’m such a fan of every single one of them. The whole team were just in awe, it was hard not to scream “you’re here”.
‘When I talked to Stephen Fry I almost welled up, I told him “this was my dream”.
‘We’re incredibly lucky to have the cast that we have. Each one of them is tremendous.’
Claudia, who also hosts BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, has partnered with The National Lottery to highlight the good causes funded whenever someone buys a ticket.
Between her presenting duties on the BBC’s two biggest shows, she travelled the country to see firsthand the impact National Lottery players have on their local communities.
In a series of short films showcasing how The National Lottery supports the arts, communities, heritage, and sport, Claudia visits Bloom, a flower garden for women and non-binary people in Sheffield.
The project, which has received £269,000 in funding over the past four years, has allowed hundreds of individuals each week to find a place of refuge, helping to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
Claudia has partnered with The National Lottery to highlight the good causes funded whenever someone buys a ticket (Claudia pictured with Sheffield based charity, Bloom)
Between her presenting duties on the BBC’s two biggest shows, she travelled the country to see firsthand the impact National Lottery players have on their local communities (Claudia visiting a wheelchair rugby club in Wales)
As her role as ambassador-in-chief, Claudia visited a host of inspiring people up and down the country ahead of The National Lottery’s 31st birthday in November
Speaking about her involvement, Claudia said: ‘I had the huge privilege of meeting seven completely different good causes, from every corner of the UK.
‘From farms to performing arts, cooking to community projects they were all unique, but the common thread is that they’re run by extraordinary people who are so passionate about their cause.
‘I brought along a National Lottery player to each good cause, and it was amazing for them to see the difference that their play makes.
‘Everyone plays the National Lottery to be in with a chance of winning a life changing prize, but it’s so much more than that.
‘Since National Lottery funding began in 1994 more than 660,000 projects have been funded with the astonishing £50B raised by players with a little pink ticket or Scratchcard. Every week, on average, National Lottery players raise more than £30M which fund projects across every postcode area in the UK.
‘Essentially, every single player of the National Lottery makes incredible things possible, and I cannot put into words the gratitude and happiness I saw at every single project.’
As her role as ambassador-in-chief, Claudia visited a host of inspiring people up and down the country ahead of The National Lottery’s 31st birthday in November.
Each project, including Bloom, a wheelchair rugby club in Wales, and a farm supporting disabled people in Northern Ireland, will be celebrated with a short video, showcasing the work being achieved.
- The National Lottery has teamed up with Claudia Winkleman to shine a light on Good Causes around the country that have been made possible, all because of you
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