Ross Kemp delivered a savage message to the Traitors after being murdered in plain sight during Thursday night's episode of Celebrity Traitors. The EastEnders actor, 62, fell victim to the Traitors – Maya Jama, James Acaster and new recruit King Kenny – in a plot that involved spraying perfume from a peacock bottle and encouraging a Faithful to yawn and inhale it.
How the murder unfolded
Jama and Acaster prompted Kemp to yawn by yawning themselves during a group conversation. Once Kemp yawned, Acaster sealed the deal and said: “Sorry, am I boring you?”
The documentary host was soon delivered a letter evicting him from the castle and, upon finding out his fate, said: “Oh no, it had to happen at some point.”
During his time on the series, Kemp was especially paranoid of being murdered in plain sight, suspecting Leigh-Anne Pinnock of trying to murder him when she touched his shoulder and Bella Ramsay of murder when she placed a hat on his head.
Kemp's furious reaction
“I was really sensitive to people coming close to me. Could have been a cheers. Could have been anything,” he said.
“There’s a great line from Shakespeare, I think it’s Polonius’s advice to his son: ‘to thine own self be true’. I have been true to myself and I have been true to the faithfuls. Well played Traitors, but you’re always going to be Traitors, and I know where you live.”
Appearing on the spin-off show Traitors: Uncloaked directly after being “murdered”, Kemp had some brutal words for his rivals. “In terms of the challenges, I really hope the next challenge is climbing hills, mountains, I want to see deep water, rapids, piranhas, I want to see some real, real tough stuff,” he told host Ed Gamble.
Fans share frustration
Kemp, who was known for being impressive during the challenges, went on: “Because if they thought it was a good idea to get rid of me, the Traitors, I hope they have it really tough from now on in. I hope it rains proper Scottish rain every time they step out to do a mission. I wanna see some sufferance. I want all of them to suffer.”
The actor then revealed he suspected Jama of being a Traitor “because of the way that she accused me early on and she seeded me and put the spotlight on me”. He also put Acaster in the line of fire and “possibly” Pinnock and James Blunt, before naming Bash Croft and Sharon Rooney as his “definite Faithfuls” because they had “bonded”.
Viewers at home shared their frustration over the Faithfuls being unable to suspect Jama following Kemp’s murder considering her recent suspicious actions.
“Maya was standing next to Miranda. Maya had two pieces stolen and not put on the shield. Maya was in the room with Ross. And the faithful just aren't making those connections?” one raged on X.
“How have none of these people suspected Maya yet?? Ross gets killed off and both her and James A spent time with him in the library that night. Her name hasn’t been brought up once!” another added.
“Ross was so suspicious about everything at the start, but can't see that James and Maya are trying to get one of them to yawn is ridiculous,” a third posted. Another remarked: “The irony of Ross being murdered in plain sight after being paranoid the entire time.”
Aftermath and upcoming episodes
Following his death, Jerry Hall was banished from the castle and told the group that she was, in fact, a Faithful. Last week’s episode saw comedian Joe Lycett banished from the Scottish castle after his plea to be recruited backfired and he fell under suspicion.
Meanwhile, Kenny filled the vacancy left by Hannah Fry, after she was banished during the roundtable in Thursday’s episode and exposed as a traitor. Celebrity Traitors continues on BBC One.
