Miranda Hart has become the latest celebrity to be murdered on The Celebrity Traitors, dealing a significant blow to the Faithfuls in Friday night's episode. The 53-year-old comedian had emerged as one of the show's sharpest detectives, earning praise from viewers for her observation skills after correctly suspecting mathematician Hannah Fry of being a Traitor.
Despite helping to unmask two Traitors, Hart's time in the castle came to an end. Reacting to her murder, she said: "No, absolutely not. Bottoms. I knew it. I'm so cross with myself. I was wholly focusing on my Joanne issue. Ultimately, in my little personal story this has been quite extraordinary."
Emotional Farewell
Hart became emotional as she reflected on her experience, saying the show allowed her to "get back and do the thing that I love professionally, and do the things I love personally, wandering round the Scottish Highlands and connecting in nature." She added: "There were times I didn't think that would be possible again."
Hart has previously spoken about the fatigue she suffers as a result of her chronic illness, which she has linked to her Lyme disease diagnosis. After learning of her murder, Joanne McNally said: "She was really powerful, Miranda was like the mother."
Record Ratings
Her shock exit came after The Traitors pulled in a peak audience of 10.3 million on Thursday night, as viewers watched EastEnders star Ross Kemp fall victim to a murder in plain sight. An average of 10 million tuned in to see Ross eliminated through a seemingly innocent 'yawn', making it the joint most-watched episode of the series so far, with a 59.9% audience share, according to the BBC.
The episode matched the ratings for the third instalment, which saw actor Richard E Grant banished from the castle after admitting he was a Traitor just moments after being chosen. In what was perhaps the most tense Roundtable yet, Joanne and Sharon both found themselves in the firing line, with a tied vote forcing the group to vote again.
Cliffhanger Ending
The deciding vote ultimately fell to Traitor Kenny, but the episode ended on a cliffhanger before viewers could discover who had been banished. Celebrity Traitors returns next Thursday at 8pm.
