Claudia Winkleman has revealed that bosses of Celebrity Traitors enforced an unusual ban on her during the show. The presenter was forbidden from wearing any jewellery during a tense moment of the series, as it was feared that even a tiny movement could give the game away.
Strict rules to avoid clues
Claudia walks in near silence in the first episode as she chooses her Traitors, leaving contestants unaware of who has been picked. To ensure there were no clues, bosses decided jewellery was firmly off limits for the presenter.
At a press screening of the second series of Celebrity Traitors, which starts tonight (Thursday October 1), executive producer Sarah Fay said to the presenter: "You're not allowed jewellery, though, are you, when we do the Traitors pick. We are very strict on that in case it jangles."
Presenter's concerns about noise
Claudia, 53, confessed she had been concerned about giving the game away due to her clothing, so she now makes sure there's nothing that can make a significant sound. She replied: "Yes, and there's some fabric that I think are noisy, even though I've been told fabric does not make a noise... I would like to do a more attractive sort of [shoe], but I'm too scared. Sometimes I just want to wear a flat, but I can't. I have to do spiky, noisy, scary shoes."
She has also confessed she loves to build the tension in the room at the initial round table. Speaking last year, she teased: "The walk around the table is very tense. I can’t tell you how many times I walk around it, but I really try to build the tension, which is hideously mean but also quite addictive. I try and wear clompy footwear to add to it. It gets a bit flamenco. Alan recently said I walk around the table like a cart horse, and he’s bang on."
Claudia rules out being a contestant
Despite her role as presenter, Claudia admitted she doesn't think she'd be a success if she were a competitor, claiming she is "too thick" to reverse the role. 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."
Among this year's celebrity intake are Michael Sheen and Richard E Grant, supermodel Jerry Hall, presenter Maya Jama and comedians Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan and James Acaster. Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock, musician James Blunt and The Last Of Us star Bella Ramsey also descended on the castle to pit their wits against each other.
The Celebrity Traitors begins tonight (Thursday October 1) at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
