Claudia Winkleman has confessed to the mischievous behaviour that’s got her into trouble with BBC bosses on The Celebrity Traitors.
The 53-year-old host has presented every series of the UK civilian version to date, and is currently at the helm of the celebrity special featuring stars like Jonathan Ross, Charlotte Church and Stephen Fry.
But she’s admitted to MailOnline that she was “desperate” to assist the famous contestants during their tasks, going so far as to attempt cheating on multiple occasions.
The most recent challenge saw the celebrities trying to match banshee screams with their matching lockets for extra prize money. Half the group had to listen to the wails and recreate them for their teammates, who then needed to locate the locket producing the identical sound.
View 4 Images Claudia said she couldn’t help herself from offering hints during challenges(Image: BBC)
“Sometimes I try and drop big clues, but my producer tells me off,” Claudia confessed, whilst also discussing how working with celebrities changed the dynamic.
“I think it was scarier, because all I wanted to do was chat to them and make them like me. But of course, I have to be extremely unlikable. It was tricky,” she revealed.
“I’m such a fan of every single one of them. The whole team were just in awe, it was hard not to scream ‘You’re here’.”
View 4 Images Claudia Winkleman hosts The Celebrity Traitors as well as the civilian version of the programme(Image: BBC) Article continues below
Four episodes of The Celebrity Traitors have now been broadcast, leaving just five remaining. Whilst the civilian version spans 12 episodes, the celebrity edition comprises only nine instalments with two episodes being shown each week, reports the Daily Record.
The Traitors in the current series are Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr and Cat Burns, who have thus far managed to evade detection by their fellow contestants despite Jonathan facing mounting scrutiny.
Joe Wilkinson suggested the chat show presenter was the sole person he believed possessed “the mettle” to eliminate Paloma Faith, who became the series’ inaugural murder casualty.
View 4 Images Claudia said she was ‘desperate’ to help the stars with the show’s challenges(Image: BBC)
Former Traitors finalist Alexander Dragonetti provided his analysis of the gameplay, particularly regarding how Jonathan had managed to avoid exposure. In an Instagram video, he revealed: “I thought Jonathan handled Joe’s suspicion really well. He agreed, he nodded, he absorbed.
“He never looked defensive. Then he let the conversation move on. That’s good diplomacy – reflect, don’t react.”