Celebrity Traitors fans have defended James Blunt after comedian Romesh Ranganathan made a joke about him during the aftershow, with many calling the moment unkind. The fallout from Friday night's final [October 30] continued as viewers reacted to an anecdote shared on Traitors Uncloaked.
Victory and a controversial joke
Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian 'Bash' Croft won the series after banishing faithfuls James Blunt and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, as well as traitor King Kenny, in the End Game. During the aftershow, Romesh joked about a moment involving himself, Claudia Winkleman and Bash that was not shown to viewers.
Romesh said: "As we're walking out after we'd won Claudia whispered to us thank god you got rid of Blunt. I was waiting to see that but for some reason it got snipped out, I don't know why."
The comment drew laughter in the BBC studio, with Claudia covering her face in embarrassment. When the camera cut to James, he looked visibly sad and appeared not to have understood the joke, whispering to Claudia to ask whether she had really said that.
Fans react on social media
The moment struck a chord because James had spent much of the show criticising his own decisions, including refusing to end the banishments during the final showdown. He even mentioned that Cherie Blair texted his wife to say how stupid her husband was during the broadcast.
Hundreds of people commented on Facebook, with many jumping to James' defence. One user said: "I'm sure it was a joke or banter but James B looked crestfallen and I hope Romesh told him it was a joke! He is a little more serious than the rest but partly because of (his) job in the army. I couldn't believe it when he put in another banishment."
Another added: "Claudia clearly would not have said that - Romesh trying to be funny and missing by a mile! I liked Romesh in the series but that did seem unnecessary and unkind."
James Blunt's background
Before his Traitors appearance, James rose to fame with his 2004 album Back to Bedlam, released two years after he left the British Army, where he served as a reconnaissance officer and notably served in the Kosovo War. The album became one of the best-selling UK albums of the 2000s, earning him two Brit Awards and five Grammy nominations. He has since released six more albums and toured internationally.
