Celebrity Traitors star Charlotte Church has revealed the hit show has ‘restored her faith in celebrities after judging them’.
The singer, 39, appeared on the show alongside huge stars including Stephen Fry, Alan Carr, Paloma Faith and Celia Imrie.
But during Wednesday’s episode, Charlotte was brutally murdered by traitors Alan, Cat Burns and Jonathan Ross.
During her exit interview, Charlotte opened up about how the BBC programme has ‘restored her faith in celebrities’, as she gushed about spending time with a group of ‘extraordinary people’.
She explained: ‘It was way more intense than I expected. It has restored my faith in celebrities a little because, generally, I just really keep out of that whole celebrity scene, and I have perhaps been a little bit too harsh in my judgement of celebrities.
‘It was wonderful to spend time with some really very interesting people. I think that’s been my favourite part of the experience. Genuinely, to just be in the company of some extraordinary people with extraordinary stories and minds was the best bit.’
Celebrity Traitors star Charlotte Church has revealed the hit show has ‘restored her faith in celebrities after judging them’
The singer, 39, appeared on the show alongside huge stars including Stephen Fry, Alan Carr, Paloma Faith and Celia Imrie
When asked what she has learned about herself, Charlotte added: ‘I’ve learned quite a lot about myself. I’ve learned that I do feel things very deeply, which I knew anyway, but I thought I would be able to switch it off a bit more and I really couldn’t.
‘Not that I want to. Part of what I’m doing in my life now, and the work that I’m doing in the world, is all about re-sensitising the heart and not numbing out feelings. I just felt such deep empathy for everyone in there.
‘I also learned that I really enjoy solitude. I’ve got such a busy life, which is so constantly full and surrounded by other people, that having those times when you had a moment, didn’t have phones, didn’t have distractions, I was really happy with that and it felt quite peaceful.’
Last week’s episodes of the smash hit BBC show ended on a huge cliffhanger as the Traitors Jonathan, Alan and Cat were seen discussing their fourth target.
Thursday’s instalment concluded with Jonathan, 63, Alan, 49, and Cat, 25, sealing the fate of one famous face, setting their sights on singer Charlotte, historian David Olusoga and Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway.
And the victim was finally revealed in the opening minutes of Wednesday’s new episode when Charlotte failed to turn up for breakfast.
Before the big reveal though, early breakfast arrival Stephen Fry mused that the singer could have been a Traitor, pointing out the last week’s banishment Claire Balding suspected her
Alan showed off his acting chops as he jumped in and told the others ‘watch her reaction when she sees who has gone.’ But as Kate and David entered the room Stephen cried: ‘How wrong we were!’
During her exit interview, Charlotte opened up about how the BBC programme has ‘restored her faith in celebrities’, as she gushed about spending time with a group of ‘extraordinary people’
She explained: ‘It was way more intense than I expected. It has restored my faith in celebrities a little because, generally, I just really keep out of that whole celebrity scene, and I have perhaps been a little bit too harsh in my judgement of celebrities’
The Traitors decided on Charlotte as the murder ‘doesn’t throw any suspicion on us,’ with Alan gleefully declaring in the turret discussions that the impact would ripple through the group. Cat agreed, saying ‘it makes no sense!’
Charlotte told the camera she ‘knew’ she would be the next victim, deciding: ‘I’m outspoken with my opinions, not that I was successful with being much of a threat to the Traitors but as the game progressed I hope that I would have been and I hope that that’s why they have gotten rid of me.’
Psychologists have revealed the science behind Jonathan and Alan’s success in fooling the Faithfuls on Celebrity Traitors.
Speaking on the Psychology Of… Celebrity Traitors podcast, three experts from the University of Chester analysed the cast of the hit BBC One reality gameshow to explain why some contestants are thriving.
Jonathan and Alan, alongside singer Cat Burns , 25, have been busy killing off their fellow famous players since the trio were selected as the first ever Celebrity Traitors by Claudia.
So far, Jonathan, Alan and Cat, have managed to send seven Faithful celebrities packing from Ardross Castle – killing Charlotte, Paloma Faith, Tom Daley and Ruth Codd, and banishing Clare Balding , Niko Omilana and Tameka Empson.
Explaining the psychology behind their success, Professor Lisa Oakley, Dr Clea Wright and Dr Kevin Hochard said that a lot of it is due to their natural personalities and how people react to them.
The experts agreed, for instance, that Carr’s ‘nervous, chatty’ public persona is a natural disguise, masking his real anxiety and making him appear consistent and trustworthy.
Before the big reveal though, early breakfast arrival Stephen Fry mused that the singer could have been a Traitor
Alan showed off his acting chops as he jumped in and told the others ‘watch her reaction when she sees who has gone’
‘It’s consistent with the persona that he already portrays, it’s just a slight accentuation,’ Dr Hochard said of the comedian’s nerves, adding that he has, however, noticed a giveaway.
‘I picked up on a colour change, he goes bright red. It’s actually a good tell. He can’t control that sympathetic nervous system activation to cope with his anxiety.’
Dr Hochard, head of Psychology at the University of Chester, was initially surprised none of the Faithfuls picked up on this behaviour from Carr.
He explained their lack of observation, saying: ‘Although we are seeing it because the cameras are showing us, the rest of the group are not fixated on him because they have got so much to watch.’
Professor Oakley agreed with Dr Hochard’s take on Carr, adding: ‘Because his public persona is nervous, chatty, anyway, it seems to cover up his actual nerves.’
Proving just how trustworthy Carr came across, Dr Wright noted how contestants didn’t pick up on the ‘nonsense’ the comedian told the Faithfuls after the Traitors secretly ‘murdered’ Paloma Faith.
He was asked if his pal had named any suspected Traitors and he falsely declared that the singer said she mentioned having two in mind but refused to reveal any names.
The psychologist said: ‘Everyone is throwing names out, everyone is talking about it and they were really close friends, so if she had names she would have told him.’
While the Faithfuls are beginning to suspect Jonathan Ross, his confidence as a TV interviewer has helped him
Professor Oakley added that Carr’s main advantage is his humour, which has helped him progress through the episodes without raising suspicion.
She said: ‘We know psychologically that humour does a number of different things, it releases tension, it’s good for psychological well-being and stress.
‘The social element is so important because it builds social bonds and this is a social game. While it’s great to watch, it’s also doing something psychologically [to people].
‘It might be the only way Alan survives because he uses humour to deflect, when he is asked a question he often laughs or says something funny.’
While the Faithfuls are beginning to suspect Jonathan Ross, the psychologists observed that his social confidence helped him navigate the early episodes and described him as a natural leader.
Noting his authority among the three Traitors, Dr Wright said: ‘He is a talk show host, he’s used to talking to people. That leadership role in a social setting feels quite at ease for him.’