Claudia Winkleman was ‘scared’ of Celebrity Traitors and tried to shut it down

Claudia Winkleman has said she was ‘scared’ at the prospect of a Celebrity spin-off of the BBC’s reality show hit The Traitors.

The BBC announced that the new Celebrity Traitors iteration will kick off on October 8, with a line-up of 19 famous faces, including household names Alan Carr, Stephen Fry, and Kate Garraway.

But beloved fringe-toting host Winkleman has said she was less gone on the spin-off at first, which will see the celebs vie for £100,000 for their chosen charity.

Wanting to protect the series that has become so beloved, she admitted: ‘I was scared.’

The 53-year-old added: ‘Only because I’m in love with this show and I wanted to keep it small. Once a year or maybe once every two years felt like enough. My bosses, thank goodness, ignored everything I said.’

Featuring an all-star cast, Winkleman went on to say that having celebs in the room did make the job tougher.

‘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 unlikeable. It was tricky!’

She even had her own starstruck moment when the gathered celebrities lined up in front of the Scottish castle, as is custom.

‘When I talked to Stephen Fry I almost welled up,’ the presenter confessed. ‘I told him this was my dream. I could barely breathe when I saw them all in the Highlands. 

‘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!”’

She continued: ‘The biggest challenge was being strict. All I wanted to do was chat and be friendly, but my role is aloof and grumpy. I found it hard not to just sit down with them and have a cup of tea.

‘They play the game beautifully and were fully engulfed in it. It was an extraordinary experience and we’re so, so lucky this 19 said yes.’

It comes after the BBC shared a teaser to whet fans’ appetites ahead of the nine-part release this autumn. As usual, the series will see celebrities divided up into the Traitors and the Faithful.

In the clip, Winkleman can be seen grilling the cast as they assemble around the iconic Traitors roundtable.

‘Welcome. But don’t get comfortable,’ she warns. ‘This game doesn’t care who you are. In here, your glamorous lives count for nothing.’

‘Most of you will be murdered. Sorry about that,’ she finished.

Celebrity Traitors launches on October 8.

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