Claudia Winkleman tried to stop The Traitors' celebrity version - 'I was scared'

The Celebrity Traitors host Claudia Winklemanhas admitted that she was firmly against the idea of the hit BBC One show being filled with famous faces when the idea was first mooted.

As fans await the first episode airing next week, the presenter told how she wanted to protect the series that has proven so popular with viewers, it has spawned a slew of lookalike shows on rival channels. “I was scared,” she admitted.

“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.”

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And so it came to pass that 19 huge stars were signed up for The Celebrity Traitors - each vying to win £100,000 for their chosen charity.

Claudia said she found her role even tougher than usual. “It was scarier, because all I wanted to do was chat to them and make them like me,” she explained. “But of course, I have to be extremely unlikeable. It was tricky!”

When she saw the calibre of celebrity queuing up to be a Traitor or a Faithful, even Claudia had to agree the show was a good idea. Working alongside Stephen Fry and bearded comic Joe Wilkinson left her especially starstruck.

“When I talked to Stephen Fry I almost welled up,” the 53-year-old TV star 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!’ “

Claudia oversees the games on the show but admits she finds it a challenge not to get too chummy with the players. “The biggest challenge was being strict,” she said.

“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.”

She was left impressed by how wholeheartedly they entered into the gameplay, “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.”

One of the celebrities who seems particularly confident ahead of entering the castle is singer Paloma Faith, whose plan is to go in all guns blazing.

The singer says she’s going to be loud - and vote off anyone who is dull. “I'm in favour of having a voice of any kind, rather than sitting on the fence,” she declared.

“I’d get rid of the boring ones. If I don't think someone is contributing much to our entertainment, I’ll just exert my influence at the Round Table.”

Paloma, 44, reckons she’s going to going to be so good at playing the game, the other celebrities will be jealous of her skills. “I'm exceptional at reading people and I'm worried that I'll get voted off or murdered, because they'll see that in me,” she declared.

“I need to keep it under the radar about how good at it I am. I'm at the point in my life where people don't even want to introduce me to their new boyfriend because they're worried I'll say I don't get good vibes from him.”

TV’s Clare Balding says she’s hoping to succeed by excelling in the missions. “That side of the programme I'm all over. It's deception and the expelling of people that I'm not so comfortable with,” she explained.

Her strategy is to be one of the quieter ones. “Do not be the loudest person in any situation,” she reasoned. “Be good at the missions, because if you're good at those you have a value. So even if they thought you were a Traitor, would it be worth having you around? That's what I think. If you’ve got a real athlete on the team, I'd want to keep them even if I thought they were a Traitor, because they've got value.”

Comedian Lucy Beaumont admits she has no clue how she will do - but was desperate to take part because she is a superfan. “I love the show. It's the best telly I've ever seen and I’ve watched every series.”

The Celebrity Traitors launches on Wednesday 8 th October, 9pm, BBC1

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