As filming gets underway for the new series of The Celebrity Traitors, host Claudia Winkleman has revealed a key sign that exposes a Traitor — and shared the surprise celebrity she would choose to play her in a biopic.
How to Spot a Traitor
Contestants always have theories on how to identify the Traitors among them, and Claudia might have let a crucial clue slip. The 54-year-old recalled a moment from the first series of Celebrity Traitors when Stephen Fry almost uncovered that Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross, and Cat Burns were not faithful.
Claudia said: “Stephen said at the last round table: ‘Shall we just look at who is tired?’ because if you are a Traitor you go to bed later than everyone else. At that point, Jonathan’s face was slumped, Alan was yawning and Cat was asleep. And someone went: ‘No, no. You have to come at it from a different way.’ I was like: ‘He has just said it.’”
So, a note to the Traitors in the second celebrity series, which has begun filming at Ardross Castle in the Highlands: whatever you do, stifle your yawns.
The Show's Success
Claudia has hosted the BBC show and its celebrity spinoff since its inception in 2022. Drawing 15 million viewers per episode, the programme has also boosted tourism in the Scottish Highlands.
She explained: “The castle was chosen as there are loads of little roads which lead away from it. Everybody leaves at the same time. They are man-marked. Their bags are searched and their phones are taken. They have an enormous amount of care as it is a big old game and they may need to talk to somebody. Everybody leaves in a car and where they stay is quite far away.”
Career High and Initial Doubts
Claudia is on a career high, having announced her departure from Strictly Come Dancing in October and celebrated the start of her own BBC chat show, The Claudia Winkleman Show, in March. However, she revealed she thought her career was over when she was first offered The Traitors.
“Traitors was not supposed to be what it was,” said Claudia, who lives in West London with her film producer husband Kris Thykier, 54. The couple have three children: Jake, Matilda, and Arthur.
“I remember phoning my husband and I said: ‘I think it is over. I have had a good run but I am standing in a field holding a ceremonial pouch with red pleather gloves which I got from Amazon. Put the kettle on. I will be back and we will not mention it.’ It did not look like it was going to begin. It is mainly about the people. I believe in them. It is about the team around you. You have got to give it a go. When the BBC asked me to go to Scotland for three weeks I was like: ‘Oh, thanks for asking...’ I said: ‘No. I don’t want to do that.’ They sent me the Dutch version and I was told to take a risk. And I watched it and after three episodes I said I would get on the train and I am in.”
Claudia, who was giving a talk at St John’s Wood Synagogue in North London with Ben Winston for the Lira Winstone Fellowships, was not the only doubter. The Traitors was rejected by bosses in the Netherlands for seven years before becoming a hit.
Behind the Scenes
When the show first started, Claudia found it hard to keep her cool during round table sessions where contestants debate whether fellow players are Traitors or Faithfuls.
She recalled: “On the first series, I had an earpiece and the producer said: ‘Watch your breathing.’ It was when one Traitor went up against another at the round table. We do it as live. To avoid giving it away, I have to look down. I don’t look at their eyes. I won’t risk it.”
Biopic Dreams
Famous for her eye-skimming fringe and thick kohl eyeliner, Claudia wants Alice Cooper to play her in a biopic of her life. She said: “I want to look scruffy, like a mature physics student who has been caught in the rain and slept in a skip.”
