James Blunt has said he felt "betrayed" when comedian Romesh Ranganathan voted for him during the Celebrity Traitors final, as the fallout from the show continues nearly a week after the finale.
Ranganathan and actor Sebastian Croft won the series after banishing Traitor King Kenny at the firepit, with Blunt leaving without prize money after voting to banish again while the winners chose to end the game.
Blunt opens up about betrayal and friendship
Speaking on BBC Radio 2's The Sara Cox Breakfast Show, Blunt said he felt "betrayed" when Ranganathan voted for him, explaining: "I think what I really knew is, I had proven through the time we had been there that I was a faithful. Everyone knew it.
"Everyone at the roundtable said he's obviously a faithful, so when Romesh pulled his card out, I was like, hang on. I think Romesh was being a little underhand(ed). I had to chuck in a final red because he's done something very treacherous there, hasn't he?"
Blunt insisted there is no bad blood between the pair, adding: "It was the perfect finish, I really enjoyed it. Romesh and I are really close actually, I promise we're really good friends."
Contract violation claims over podcast episode
Joanne McNally and friend Vogue Williams had planned to reveal all about her time on the show, but she claimed the BBC prevented her from releasing a "tell-all" episode about her experience.
Addressing the missing episode at the start of a different instalment, their producer Joe Attewell said: "I think it is now, eight to nine thousand messages we've had, and rightly so, asking where that promised bonus extra episode went that was going to come out on Sunday. We recorded that on Friday afternoon.
"It was a tell all behind the scenes and all about Joanne's experience on Celebrity Traitors." Vogue quipped that she had "spent ages on research" so that she could interview Joanne, and Joe said he "edited it as fast" as he could.
They then jokingly claimed he was "bundled roughly into a BBC van". They added: "[The BBC] told me in no uncertain terms that just about everything that had been spoken about on the podcast was a violation of contracts that had been signed."
Feud rumours and editing complaints
There had been rumours of a "feud" between winner Romesh Ranganathan and James Blunt. In the final firepit, Ranganathan made it clear he thought Blunt was a Traitor after he dismissed Traitor Maya Jama's comments.
Speaking on Hits Radio, Blunt said: "Romesh is a very, very, sweet human being, and I promise he and I get on very, very, well. He has done [donated some money]. I was going to save that for a conversation I was having with him, but you know, if you're going to mention it, he absolutely has. It's called Blue Marine Foundation."
Several cast members have also spoken out about the editing of the show. Blunt explained of the moment James Acaster confirmed he was a Traitor: "He didn't fall on his sword. That's what you saw, that's what you feel, but he didn't. You didn't see the full extent of the interrogation. It was heavy in there and it was clear-cut. He was pinned to a post. We got him. We really, really got him.
"There are elements [of the show] where I was screaming at the screen for a different reason than you. No matter what really went on in that castle, you're a victim to the edit."
Acaster also said key scenes were cut, including him confessing he was a Traitor to Jerry Hall. Speaking on Alan Carr's Life A Beach podcast, he recalled: "I looked her in the eye and said, I think it might be me too Jerry, and she said you're very sneaky. And I told her I was very sneaky and it might be me."
Fellow Traitor King Kenny made a barbed swipe at Acaster, saying: "I think the producers should make sure that everyone wants to play the game effectively. Whether you're a Traitor or a Faithful, everyone's happy to do whatever. It makes the game much more fun.
"I think if James Acaster didn't say that I would have won."
Rumours of a romance between Maya Jama and King Kenny were denied by a source, who said the pair, both Traitors on the show, "find it hilarious that their relationship could be anything else." The insider added that Kenny has been visiting Maya's home to spend time with friends staying with the TV presenter, and that the pair "are genuinely really good friends" and built "a stronger bond" on the show.
