Celebrity Traitors: Alan Carr's former friend Justin Lee Collins speaks out about the show
Alan recently confirmed he doesn't speak to his former TV co-star anymoreAlan Carr has received support for his success on The Celebrity Traitors by his former friend Justin Lee Collins.
Justin, 51, has publicly shown his feelings about 49-year-old Alan’s performance on the BBC One show following his impressive stint.
Alan is now one of two Traitors remaining following the banishment of Jonathan Ross last night. He is now set to strike again in plain sight with fellow Traitor, Cat Burns.
Justin has taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to support both Alan and The Celebrity Traitors itself.
The shamed comedian wrote: “It is the best show on television. Each episode is absolute genius from start to finish. And Alan Carr is killing it!”
How did Alan Carr meet Justin Lee Collins?
Alan became good friends with Justin Lee in the noughties. The pair met on the Channel 4 comedy, Flipside, and clicked.
In 2006, they were announced as co-hosts for Channel 4’s The Friday Night Project. The show ran for three years and Alan and Justin interviewed a host of A-list stars together during this time.
Speaking about their working relationship as the show came to an end, Justin told Female First in 2009: “Oh it’s joy. I get to work with one of my best friends I get to sit on a sofa with one of my best friends, the most naturally funny man that I have ever met, and it’s a complete joy.
“I shall miss that we will not be doing it anymore but it’s finishing at the right time isn’t it Al?” Alan agreed.
Did Alan and Justin fallout?
Alan and Justin’s friendship has now fizzled out. In 2012, Justin was found guilty of harassing his former partner, Anna Larke. He was convicted of harassment causing fear of violence.
The court heard he had “waged a campaign of abuse”, throwing DVDs at Anna and making her sleep facing away from him.
Justin, who had denied the allegations, was sentenced to 140 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £3,500 in prosecution costs.
Alan did not comment publicly on the case at the time. He also backed away from Justin publicly. Alan only decided to break his silence in 2016 during an interview on Loose Women.
Alan told viewers of the ITV show: “That wasn’t the Justin I knew. He was a big part of my life and I had such a laugh with him. He was obviously in a toxic relationship and he’s now sorted himself out.”
The comedian went on to insist he and Justin were still friends. When asked why he didn’t speak out at the time of the court case, Alan added: “I didn’t want to throw him under the bus because he’s a good friend and he’s sorted himself out.”
Alan’s U-turn on Justin
By 2024, however, Alan’s opinion on his friendship with Justin had changed. In an interview with The Guardian, he confirmed they were no longer pals.
Alan told the publication: “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.”
Alan has not replied to Justin’s comment about him on X.
