Television presenter Dermot O'Leary has revealed a surprising personal connection to a star of the hit BBC series The Traitors during a recent episode of This Morning.
This Morning Revelation
During the Friday, 16th January 2026 edition of the ITV daytime show, where O'Leary was co-hosting with Alison Hammond in relief of regular presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, conversation turned to the nation's favourite reality game. The discussion occurred with guest actress Sarah Parish, who is starring in the ITV sitcom Piglets.
Parish, known for roles in Peak Practice and Bancroft, praised her Piglets co-star Maddy Smedley, who also found fame as a contestant on the very first series of The Traitors in 2022. It was then that O'Leary made his unexpected disclosure.
An X Factor Connection
Dermot explained that he actually knew Maddy Smedley before her television fame, because her sister, Rosie, worked as his runner during his time hosting The X Factor in the late 2000s.
"I used to work with her sister, Rosie, on The X Factor. She was my runner," O'Leary said. "And I remember meeting her when she was just a young actress starting out and then I watched her on Traitors and thought 'Hang on, I know her.'"
Meanwhile, Sarah Parish confessed she has never watched The Traitors, stating she struggles with television that makes people feel "uncomfortable" on camera. She even joked that she has to switch over when judge Craig Revel Horwood appears on Strictly Come Dancing.
Maddy Smedley's Rising Career
Maddy Smedley, also known as Madelyn Smedley, was a standout Faithful on the debut series of Claudia Winkleman's BBC show, correctly suspecting Traitor Wilf Webster. Although banished just before the final, the exposure launched her acting career further.
Prior to The Traitors, she was already an actress. Her recent roles include a part in the long-running BBC medical drama Casualty, which she announced on X (formerly Twitter) last week. In the episode, she played a patient named Bethany Chimes who suffers severe sunburn, a role she hoped would raise awareness about melanoma.
Her other credits include playing Faye Fuller in Hollyoaks, Sally in Big Boys, and Dilys Shaughnessy in two episodes of Call the Midwife. She also made her film debut in 2023's Unicorns.
The revelation on This Morning highlights the often interconnected nature of the UK's television industry, where paths cross long before stars find breakout fame on hit shows like The Traitors.
