Celebrity Traitors' Alan Carr: Finding fame, his failed marriage and former friendship with Justin Lee Collins
The funnyman has proven himself to be an exceptional killer
Celebrity Traitors star Alan Carr has been the breakout star on the BBC One show. While he claimed he was going to be “worse than Linda”, he’s proven himself to be a cold-blooded killer.
Very few (if anyone) has suspected the comedian, 49, to be a Traitor – which has seen him romp through the competition.
But there’s more to Alan than meets the eye. It’s little wonder he’s managed to prove himself to be a strong Traitor, alongside Cat Burns and Jonathan Ross.
Here’s everything you need to know about the funnyman; from his rise to fame, his celebrity friendships and his relationship status.
Celebrity Traitors: Who is Alan Carr and how old is he?
Alan was born to Christine and Graham Carr on 14 June 1976, in Weymouth, Dorset. This makes him 49 years old. He grew up in Northampton, where his dad Graham was originally from.
After graduating from Middlesex University with a 2.1 in Drama and Theatre Studies, Alan moved to Manchester to try his hand at a comedy career. He would perform in his spare time, and worked in a call centre to pay the bills in the meantime.
While Alan didn’t love the job, he told The Sun in 2012 that young people should try their hand in call centre jobs.
“Never mind National Service – young kids should be put in call centres, hearing people swear at you all day,” he said. “It helps you talk to people – and to listen. I can talk to anyone and sound interested in what they say.”
But that would all be soon behind him, as Alan was earmarked as a rising star on the comedy scene. In 2001, he won the BBC New Comedy Awards which led to a Radio 4 show being commissioned.
Alan added that he never intended to go into comedy. He told Designer magazine in 2o03: “I wanted to be this serious actor, but no-one would believe me. Doing comedy just gave me something to do in the evening and I could still express myself.”
Is Alan Carr still friends with Justin Lee Collins?
While Alan had a few appearances on panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, his real breakthrough was Channel 4’s The Friday Night Project in 2006.
He hosted the irreverent entertainment show with Justin Lee Collins, who he met on Channel 4 comedy Flipside. The interview and comedy series quickly became a smash hit.
The show ran until 2009, and featured stars such as Kanye West, David Tennant and Lily Allen as guest hosts as the format changed weekly. The pair became great friends and were often spotted on the showbiz circuit together.
However, Justin’s reputation came into disrepute after he was found guilty in 2012 of harassing former partner, Anna Larke.
On Loose Women back in 2016, Alan spoke about Justin. He said at the time: “The Justin I knew…he was a big part of my life. I spent my whole time laughing with him. I believe in second chances, but I had to address [his actions]. He was a good friend and that’s how I saw him.”
But in 2024, Alan said to The Guardian: “People say, ‘Oh you’re not friends any more’. I don’t think it’s a reflection of whether I drop people like a hot brick; I also worked in a factory and at Tesco, and I don’t speak to any of them. Life goes on.”
What other shows has Alan Carr hosted?
Alan has fronted an impressive number of shows following the Friday Night Project’s cancellation in 2009. After briefly presenting game show Alan Carr: Celebrity Ding Dong, he branched into chat shows. His series, Alan Carr: Chatty Man was a huge success, running from 2009 t0 2017.
While the show was popular, Alan did regret how harsh some of his opening monologues were.
“Punching down, that’s a phrase that’s come around,” he told The Guardian. “No one wants to punch down now. The world is so out of control, there are so many (bleeps) out there. Whereas I used to maybe slag off someone from X Factor, I think we’ve realised now who the enemy is.”
Other shows Alan has fronted include Alan Carr’s Specstacular, Happy Hour, Interior Design Masters and Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow. He also features on a number of reality shows, including as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Most recently, he has paired up with pal Amanda Holden for their renovation series’, Amanda and Alan’s The Italian Job and Amanda and Alan’s Spanish Job.
Alan Carr’s celebrity friends
Having ingratiated himself with celebrities on his numerous programmes, Alan Carr isn’t short of any showbiz pals.
Among some of his most famous is singing legend Adele. They became mates before she hit global superstardom. The pair are so close, Alan even had Adele to stay with him after the release of her album, 21, in 2011.
“I’d leave cups of tea and sandwiches outside her room,” Alan said on the Jonathan Ross Show in 2016. Adele even officiated Alan’s wedding to his former partner Paul Drayton in 2018, holding the ceremony in her Los Angeles home.
Alan is also close with Amanda Holden. The pair became friends after they were paired together to present a Pride of Britain Award, and have since appeared together on their renovation shows.
Speaking on The Graham Norton Show earlier this year, he said: “I love Amanda, but she is very bossy and always telling me what to do.”
Meanwhile, another showbiz friend was Paloma Faith. On Celebrity Traitors, the pair said they’ve known each other “since forever” – but that didn’t stop Alan from killing Paloma in cold blood on the first day.
Things seemed to have turned a little sour since then. Oh dear!
What is wrong with Alan Carr’s eyes?
Alan suffers from astigmatism (curvature of the eye), which has resulted in some vision problems for the bespectacled comedian.
Earlier this year, he detailed having to go to a London eye hospital to treat building pressure behind his eyes. “Losing my sight is my worst thing, and I can feel it getting worse. My eyeballs need draining,” he said on his Life’s a Beach podcast.
Is Alan Carr married?
Alan was previously married to Paul Drayton. The pair, who met in 2008, married in 2018. However, they separated in 2022.
Alan and Paul shared a joint statement that said: “After 13 years as a couple and three years of marriage, Alan Carr and Paul Drayton would like to announce they are separating.
“They have jointly and amicably made the difficult decision to divorce and go their separate ways. We request that their privacy is respected at this sensitive time.”
Alan later said Paul’s battle with alcohol addiction was “too much for me” when discussing the split.
Alan had been living with Paul in Sussex. But after their split, he moved back to London. Alan is even braving the London dating scene again.
Last year, Alan admitted it was “nice to have companionship” when discussing his personal life in an interview.
Alan Carr on Celebrity Traitors
Alan was disparaging about his abilities on The Celebrity Traitors at first, but he has seemingly moved around the castle undetected. However, time may soon be up for the comedian.
After banishing yet another Faithful last week, others in the group spotted that Alan had forgotten he had a shield, which meant he was protected from murder. This is something a Faithful would never forget.
Could this mean Alan’s place in the BBC show is now at risk?
When is the Celebrity Traitors final?
The Celebrity Traitors final will air on Thursday November 6, 2025, in a 90 minute special. The winner of the show gets their hands on a cash prize pot, which they can donate to a charity of their choice.
