Celebrity Traitors' Richard E Grant lashes out over claims he 'staged' his Traitor reveal to 'get out of filming'
Richard is unimpressed with claims he faked his blunderCelebrity Traitors star Richard E Grant has quashed reports that claimed he faked his disastrous Traitor reveal.
Richard, 69, was first to be banished from Ardross Castle after accidentally telling his co-stars he had been made a Traitor in the game.
It was the quickest a Traitor has ever been rumbled by the Faithful In any UK series and it had the nation talking.
Reports have since claimed Richard made the blunder deliberately so he could leave the show and head home.
But Richard has bitten back.
Celebrity Traitors’ Richard E Grant hits back a ‘staged’ claims
Richard took to Instagram last night (Tuesday October 20, 2026) and blasted the claims that he revealed he was a Traitor on purpose.
In a statement, he wrote: “I usually wouldn’t comment on things like this, but I’ve been made aware some press outlets are suggesting I ‘staged’ my traitors reveal to get out of filming.
“This is categorically false. I’m an avid fan of the show and have been since it first aired.”
Richard continued: “Being picked as a Traitor when I was convinced I’d be a Faithful was an absolute dream and a sheer shock to the system.”
Richard’s admission about his status to the group came within minutes of the first Round Table. Claudia Winkleman had tapped both his and Maya Jama’s shoulders to signal that they had been made Traitors.
But after exiting the room, Richard slipped up.
Comedian Joe Lycett had asked him: “What are you?” Smiling and noticeably giddy with excitement, Richard replied: “I’m a Traitor.”
The nation was left gobsmacked by the mistake. Then, in record-breaking time, the Faithful voted Richard out of the game at the first opportunity.
Revealing his identity as he was banished, Richard told them: “I am… an unfaithful Traitor.”
Richard later admitted it was a “catastrophically idiotic thing to do”. He also said his daughter would “slaughter” him for the blunder.
When is The Celebrity Traitors on next?
Series 2 of The Celebrity Traitors continues tomorrow night on BBC One (Thursday October 22, 2026). As usual, the episode will start at 8pm with an end time of 9.05pm.
After waiting all week, fans will finally discover whether Traitors Maya Jama, James Acaster and King Kenny successfully murdered a Faithful in plain sight.
The main task is to get someone to yawn. But from what we saw last week, it wasn’t going well!
