Claudia Winkleman is forbidden from wearing jewellery during the Traitors selection on Celebrity Traitors, the show's executive producer has revealed, to prevent any jangling sounds that could give away her movements.
The second series of Celebrity Traitors begins tonight (October 1) with 21 celebrities competing in the game of lies and deceit to win up to £100,000 for their chosen charity. The Scottish castle host, aged 54, has the task of choosing the Traitors, which she has admitted is the most nerve-wracking part of the job.
At the start of each season, contestants sit at the roundtable wearing blindfolds while Claudia walks around and taps her chosen Traitors on the shoulder, attempting to throw others off the scent. She admits that she starts to "panic" under the pressure.
Strict rules for the Traitors pick
During a BBC screening of the newest series, executive producer Sarah Fay explained the rule: "Claudia is not allowed jewellery when we do the Traitors pick. We’re very strict on that, in case it jangles."
The Independent reports that Claudia "gets scared" while choosing the Traitors due to the rising tension in the room. She jokingly added: "I have to wear spiky, noisy, scary shoes. I feel like I’m doing flamenco because I stop a lot."
Celebrity cast and odds
The cast includes Miranda Hart, Bella Ramsey, Joe Lycett, James Blunt, and James Acaster. According to bookies' odds, actor Michael Sheen is currently the favourite to win the series, closely followed by Richard E Grant. Comedian and presenter Romesh Ranganathan is the favourite to be selected as a Traitor this year. As a close friend of competitor Rob Beckett, fans are excited to see if the duo will work together or betray each other.
Claudia on playing the game
Having hosted The Traitors UK since it started in 2022, Claudia has confessed that she believes she is "too thick" to take part in the game itself. She said: "I’m too thick. I mustn’t play it in public. I must not, thank you so much. I’m just being honest. I could have come up with a schmoozier (answer) but no. It’s a privilege to play that game and to be at the round table, but I think I would just be too awful at it."
She has hailed this year's cast of celebrities as "fantastic" and was shocked when the list was initially revealed to her. The Celebrity Traitors begins tonight (October 1) at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
