Maya Jama has spoken out about James Acaster's difficult experience as a Traitor on The Celebrity Traitors, saying "it was hard" to watch and admitting she had no idea he was struggling before his recruitment.
The 32-year-old presenter was banished from the BBC reality show during the dramatic final on Friday, October 30, after the Faithfuls worked out she was a Traitor. Fellow Traitor King Kenny voted against her at the final roundtable, securing her elimination and his place in the final game, only to be rumbled himself by finalists Romesh Ranganathan, Sebastian 'Bash' Croft and James Blunt.
Acaster's Emotional Confession
Before the final, viewers were stunned when James Acaster outed himself as a Traitor. The comedian, 41, was banished from the roundtable during the semi-final on Thursday, October 29, after he came clean and admitted his role to fellow players.
According to reports, filming had to be paused when Acaster became upset during the tense roundtable. The Sun reported that producers stepped in, and he was reportedly given a welfare check before the roundtable began.
A BBC spokesperson said: "Our highest priority is always the safety and welfare of everyone taking part. Players are closely monitored and supported throughout by production, which includes a dedicated and experienced welfare team."
Jama on Acaster's Recruitment
Jama, who was one of the original Traitors alongside actor Richard E Grant, told Variety she had no idea Acaster was reluctant to take on the role when they recruited him.
"I know, bless him. Never in a game would you expect that you're going to be put in a situation where you absolutely hate being a Traitor. And I obviously had no idea beforehand that he didn't want to be a Traitor, I just thought everyone's kind of up for it," she said.
"But yeah, it was hard. I don't think anybody knows how it would feel once you're in the situation, and that's going to impact everyone completely differently. As he said, for him it was a lot. You're like, 'OK, this is a game, we're playing for charity.' But then these people have real feelings, and trying to find the balance between it is tougher than it looks."
Kenny's Final Betrayal
Jama also reflected on Kenny's vote against her at the final roundtable, saying she understood his decision. "You know what, I obviously love Kenny to bits. I think he's amazing. And he didn't really have much of a choice, so it didn't hurt as much. In hindsight, actually, watching back, I'm like, maybe we could have wrangled it.
"But in the moment, it just felt like everyone was going for me. And if Kenny did protect me, then he was going to be finished — even though he did end up being finished anyway. It felt like the only option, so I didn't hate him for it."
Faithfuls Bash and Romesh went on to win, sharing the £83,000 prize pot between their chosen charities, Choose Love and Refugee Council.
