Celebrity Traitors fans are 'flabbergasted' upon learning just how many lives James Blunt has lived. The singer-songwriter is a Faithful for now in Claudia Winkleman's game of deception, while Maya Jama and Richard E Grant were selected as Traitors before recruiting James Acaster.
Richard's fate does appear to have been sealed, of course, with more heat on him than a marshmallow on an open fire after his candid 'I'm a Traitor' declaration on night one. Meanwhile, James, 52, made a strong first impression in the Scottish Highlands when he and fellow tough man Ross Kemp, 62, immediately took charge of the missions.
Military Background Revealed
BBC viewers quickly discovered he was channelling his military background to motivate and organise his fellow celebrities to build up the prize pot for charity. However, audiences are now realising just how deep his lore goes, because not only is James the voice of 2004 chart-topper You're Beautiful… he also prevented World War III.
Before he was the Back to Bedlam singer we know today, James served in the British Army as an officer in the Life Guards for six years. James received an Army sponsorship to attend university in Bristol to study sociology, after which he trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He went on to reach the rank of captain, following in the footsteps of his father, who served as a colonel in the Army Air Corps.
The Kosovo Incident
James was a Nato peacekeeper and troop leader in Kosovo, and he previously revealed that, by refusing a US General's order to seize an airfield and attack Russian troops, he prevented a war. In 2010, James told BBC Radio 5 Live that he knowingly risked a court-martial, with the backing of British Gen Sir Mike Jackson.
'I was given the direct command to overpower the 200 or so Russians who were there,' he explained. 'I was the lead officer with my troop of men behind us. The soldiers directly behind me were from the Parachute Regiment, so they're obviously game for the fight.'
He recalled the General's direct command was to 'overpower them', with 'unusual' words, such as 'destoy', coming down the radio. James, who was at the head of a column of 30,000 Nato troops, called it a 'mad situation', with '200 Russians lined up pointing their weapons at [them] aggressively'.
Then a 25-year-old cavalry officer, James knew there was a 'political reason' to take hold of the airfield. Nevertheless, he said that following the order would have 'absolutely' risked starting World War III. On the support of British General Sir Mike Jackson, he revealed his words were: 'I'm not going to have my soldiers be responsible for starting World War III.'
'[He] told us, "Why don't we sugar off down the road, you know, encircle the airfield instead?" And after a couple of days, the Russians there said, "Hang on, we have no food and no water. Can we share the airfield with you?"'
Had Gen Jackson not obstructed the order from his superior officer, Blunt would have declined to follow it still, noting that 'there are things you do along the way that you know are right, and those that you absolutely feel are wrong'. 'I think it's morally important to stand up against, and that sense of moral judgement is drilled into us as soldiers in the British Army.'
James left the Army in 2002 to pursue his music career, and we're pretty certain he couldn't have predicted those skills coming in useful on a reality TV show decades later. Upon reading about his military history, Traitors fans took to X in shock, with @ShayleSophie praising, 'What a guy 💪🏼', while @BullFrogss said they 'still can't believe it'.
@xiontrbl also found it hysterical how he's reverted to old tactics to 'run the Traitors like the military', as @LucyGoBag interestingly pointed out how witnessing conflict has benefited his 'readiness' and 'commanding' abilities. James himself has long taken it upon himself to inform the masses of his pivotal role in history, tweeting in 2024: 'Quick reminder that you owe me everything.'
Life Beyond the Military
James's life story doesn't end there, as he also had an unlikely friendship with Hollywood icon Carrie Fisher. The pair had a close, decades-long bond, which they struck up in 2003 when he moved to her Beverly Hills home to record his debut album. James met the Star Wars legend through mutual acquaintances, after which she invited the then-unknown budding artist to her abode.
He would record Goodbye My Lover in her bathroom while tripping on hash brownies, and titled the record Back to Bedlam 'because of the madhouse from which it came'. James often affectionately called her his 'American mother', with Fisher even becoming godmother to his son. James saw Fisher in London the night before she died in December 2016, and he later admitted to feeling guilty that he didn't do more to intervene with her addiction struggles.
In his song Dark Thought, he sings: 'If I wasn't there, I'm sorry.' He was ultimately too grief-stricken to attend her funeral but said goodbye in his own way years later by visiting her house, tears rolling down his face.
Just to add to the crazy lore, we shall finally inform you that James married into aristocracy when he and Sofia Wellesley tied the knot in 2014. Sofia is a lawyer and the daughter of Lord John Henry Wellesley and Lady Corinne Vaes, plus the granddaughter of Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington. They have two sons, the eldest of whom has Ed Sheeran as a godfather.
The Celebrity Traitors continues on BBC One and iPlayer on Thursday.
