Romesh Ranganathan has spoken out about the fallout from the Celebrity Traitors final, admitting he feels 'really bad' about the events that unfolded and insisting he and James Blunt remain friends.
On Friday night, more than 11 million viewers watched as the comedian, 48, and Heartstopper actor Sebastian 'Bash' Croft, 24, secured an £83,000 win for their charities. However, the final was marked by an intense showdown between Romesh and musician James, 52, after the stand-up star voiced doubts about the You're Beautiful singer.
Romesh's Regret Over the Final Showdown
Romesh admitted he believed James could be a Traitor, which knocked him 'for six'. He only changed his mind when fellow Faithful Bash convinced him that King Kenny was actually the one they needed to banish. The damage was already done, though, as James began questioning Romesh, leading him to vote for one last banishment when the remaining two wanted to end the game – costing himself the win.
Appearing on tonight's One Show, the Last One Laughing star was grilled by host Roman Kemp on whether he and James are 'on speaking terms', likening their heated exchange to something out of a Bond film.
'I feel really bad about that, and it's gonna stay with me for a long time, what happened,' Romesh admitted. Addressing speculation that he and James had genuinely fallen out, he added: 'I just wanna get this out in the open, James Blunt and I are friends, OK? It's all good.'
Friendship and Future Plans
Romesh revealed that James had texted him saying, 'I know where you live,' but insisted their friendship is intact. He explained that in the moment, Bash convinced him that James was a Faithful, and he trusted Bash. When James decided to go again, Romesh thought, 'Oh no!'
Romesh said he was '100% sure Bash was a Faithful', which he described as good to have 'in his locker' going into the last firepit, as it gave him confidence knowing he could trust at least one person.
The duo also discussed their own friendship, which struck up an unlikely bond thanks to their experience in Ardross Castle. Bash joked, 'I feel like we have a friendship that lives outside of… maybe for the next few weeks, and then…', with Romesh adding, 'Yeah, while it feels like we can get some juice out of it, we'll keep in touch.' More sincerely, Romesh shared that there is a WhatsApp group featuring all the cast members, and he insisted, 'I think we're all gonna meet up at some point.'
Rumours of Bullying Rubbished
James Blunt isn't the only fellow player Romesh was accused of having beef with this season, as rumours suggested that he and Rob Beckett actually 'bullied' James Acaster. The recruited Traitor has since completely rubbished allegations of a 'toxic' environment, telling past winner Alan Carr on his Life's A Beach podcast: 'I've never had stuff made up about me before.'
'You'd think, just going and playing Traitors, surely, who cares? But I think there was something in the papers that said I'd complained because Rob and Romesh had been teasing me. And I was like… I've been friends with those guys for over 10 years! They were lovely the entire show. I didn't complain about any of my fellow players.'
He branded the reports 'completely fabricated', baffled that 'people really care that much' about the behind-the-scenes of the programme. 'I guess it's not just a game, is the thing,' he reasoned. 'It's a game, it's a reality show, it's a talking point… It's so much.'
James was sensationally banished after the burden of being a Traitor became too heavy, and he shockingly confessed at the roundtable that he'd been reluctantly recruited. Following his banishment, he said there could be a 'proper final' because, with three Traitors still in the mix, 'it would have been a foregone conclusion' that they'd win.
'Don't get me wrong, I thought it was hilarious at one point that we were just going to walk our way to the final and win the whole thing, but this is much better, isn't it?' Adding that he was 'surprised' when Michael Sheen turned suspicions onto him, he declared: 'I was glad that they caught me.'
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