Actress Julie Hesmondhalgh has become the latest celebrity to be banished from the BBC programme Celebrity Traitors after receiving the most votes at the latest round table. The former Coronation Street star was eliminated on Friday night (October 9), becoming the third contestant to leave the show.
Before her departure, Hesmondhalgh revealed to her fellow players that she had been a Faithful throughout. Her exit follows the group's earlier mistake when they eliminated another Faithful, having incorrectly suspected Myha'la of being duplicitous.
Early success and a poisoned chalice
The celebrities did, however, enjoy early success when they correctly identified which star had been misleading them during the initial round table, choosing to banish Richard E. Grant after he inadvertently revealed his Traitor status.
When questioned about how it felt to expose a Traitor at the first Round Table, Hesmondhalgh admitted it was 'the best feeling'. She remarked: "I cannot begin to tell you how incredible that feeling is. Right up there with marriage and childbirth, haha!"
She added: "And then for Claudia to come in and say that that has never happened in any series of the Traitors ever! But of course, it created this atmosphere of such cockiness and such blood thirstiness; it was a bit of a poisoned chalice ultimately."
Doubts shift towards James Blunt
Following Hesmondhalgh's banishment, doubts are now shifting towards James Blunt, who remained convinced the actress was deceiving the group. BBC audiences have also witnessed suspicions mounting against particular members of the group, particularly Hannah Fry, who was recently enlisted as a Traitor alongside James Acaster and Maya Jama.
During the most recent episode, King Kenny expressed his frustration at Hesmondhalgh's elimination, noting she had been amongst the celebrities striving hardest to unmask the deceivers within their midst. He told Miranda Hart: "You know what's so annoying? We got rid of someone trustworthy. Someone who was going out of their way to hunt people. She was so proactive, and she's gone. That's genuinely our biggest loss."
Viewers react to the banishment
Social media platform X quickly filled with reactions to Hesmondhalgh's banishment, with numerous viewers left heartbroken by her premature departure. One viewer commented: "I can't lie I'm actually devastated that Julie got banished-I really wanted to see what else she could do."
Another wrote: "What a wild episode, I am so sad they all turned on Julie, I feel so sorry for James Blunt, who will be our first isolated contestant." While a fourth posted: "I hope they all feel AWFUL how dare they come for Julie."
Celebrity Traitors continues on Thursdays and Fridays on BBC One from 9pm.
