Celebrity Traitors' Ruth Codd: The inspiring Hollywood actress from humble beginnings who 'cut off her own leg'
The Irish actress had a remarkable rise to fame
Celebrity Traitors star Ruth Codd has swapped the bright lights of Hollywood for a candlelit castle in Scotland for the brand new BBC spin-off.
The young actress is one of 19 famous faces to have signed up to the first ever Celebrity Traitors which is hosted, of course, by Claudia Winkleman.
But how will she fair among such a line-up of showbiz heavyweights, who include Jonathan Ross, Clare Balding and Alan Carr? And what exactly is Ruth famous for? Here’s everything you need to know about Ruth Codd, including her age and what happened to her leg.
The Celebrity Traitors: Who is Ruth Codd? How old is she?
Ruth Codd was born on June 16 1996, making her 29 years old. She was born in Wexford, Ireland. Ruth grew up on a housing estate with her mum, her dad and her brother. Her brother came along when Ruth was three, although she previously admitted she’d wanted a sister at the time!
Life was idyllic. Ruth would spend a lot of time on her grandmother’s nearby farm, riding the horses. But when she was just 15, Ruth’s world was turned upside dow. She suffered a horrific accident while “messing around” and playing football at school – and it had devastating consequences.
How Ruth Codd lost her leg
Ruth severely damaged her right leg in the footballing accident. Her injury didn’t heal properly and Ruth was left with constant discomfort. She had also suffered irreparable nerve damage.
As the years followed, Ruth endured multiple operations and was often on crutches. She coped with constant pain and mobility issues for eight years before making the brave decision to have her leg amputated. Ruth was 23 years old.
Ruth previously told the Irish Examiner: “My whole life revolved around trying to heal my leg. For years, I didn’t see it getting any better. I was stuck in a really bad mindset and I was [beep] off at life. When I made the decision to amputate it, things finally started to turn around. It was a relief. I could get on my life.”
Ruth now uses a prosthetic leg below her knee.
How did Ruth Codd become famous?
Despite her ongoing health issues, Ruth left school and began training to be a professional make-up artist and barber. But when the covid pandemic hit, she lost her job. Ruth was forced to think of new ways to make a living and turned to social media.
Thanks to her quick wit but also her inspiring disability awareness videos, Ruth amassed 672,000 followers on TikTok within a year.But the best was yet to come. Ruth soon caught the eye of Netflix producers. The casting team of thriller The Midnight Club found her on the site and got in touch – even though Ruth had zero acting experience!
What has Ruth Codd been in?
Netflix liked what they saw and Ruth – who it turned out had a natural talent for acting – was cast as Anya in the series, which premiered in October 2022. She has since credited acting as her “greatest skill”, musing it is her “only skill”.
From The Midnight Club, the series’ co-creator and showrunner, Mike Flanagan, cast Ruth as Juno Usher in his next massive horror miniseries, The Fall of the House of Usher. That was released in October 2023 before Ruth guest-starred as Cassandra in an episode of the Shudder streaming service horror series, Creepshow.
Ruth had a guest role as Bibi in the Irish comedy-drama series The Dry, too.
The Celebrity Traitors isn’t Ruth’s first step into reality TV, either. She appeared as a contestant on the Channel 4 cooking series, Celeb Cooking School, in January 2024. Ruth finished in third place.
Who is Ruth Codd in How to Train Your Dragon?
This year, Ruth had her big movie break in cinemas worldwide. She was cast in the live-action film, How to Train Your Dragon. Ruth played the part of Phlegma the Fierce in the movie. In the original animation, Phlegma was a small role but the part was expanded for the 2025 adaptation.
Ruth starred alongside Gerard Butler and Nick Frost in the film. Speaking to Ireland AM, she said: “It was just mad. I had only worked in TV and a lot is one stages and in studios. They build all of Berk [where the movie is set] in a field in the middle of Belfast.
“They built a whole arena and we were stuck out on a ship in the rain for about four months. I was wearing leather, so it just absorbed it. I had three chest infections on that job!”
Unlike the cartoon, Phlegma the Fierce in the action movie was an amputee, like Ruth. The character has a dagger-shaped leg, although Ruth mused: “It was very hard to walk on!”
She added: “No matter how good an actor you are, you’ll never understand what it’s like to be disabled. So I think there’s massive importance on letting disabled people take the roles.”
Ruth Codd on The Celebrity Traitors
Ruth doesn’t have a specific game plan for The Celebrity Traitors. Ahead of the show’s launch, she said: “I’m not set on one approach. I chopped off my own leg and taught myself to walk again. So, you know, I’m a very adaptable person, if anything.”
In a moment of honesty, she also admitted she didn’t know why the BBC had cast her for it. She also said on Ireland AM: “They asked me. I don’t know why, as they weren’t stuck for people. Like, they got actual celebs. I was like, ‘Are you sure?!'”
The actress wants to bring “sarcasm, great fashion sense and cool outfits” to the BBC series. On what else she offers to the party, Ruth added: “I’m not really a people person, so probably a lot of sarcasm and smart comments. We might need to form some alliances, but I suppose you can only judge in the moment and see who’s before you.”
Who else is on Celebrity Traitors?
Celebrity Traitors line-up features a whole host of stars, including comedian Alan Carr, singer Cat Burns, actor Celia Imrie, and singer Charlotte Church. Also taking part are broadcaster Clare Balding, filmmaker David Olusoga, former England rugby player Joe Marler, and comedian Joe Wilkinson.
These stars are joined by presenter Jonathan Ross, Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway, comedian Lucy Beaumont, actor Mark Bonnar, comedian Nick Mohammed, YouTube creator Niko Omilana, singer Paloma Faith, and Ruth Codd. Completing the line-up are QI’s Stephen Fry, actor and comedian Tameka Empson, and Olympic diver Tom Daley.
When is The Celebrity Traitors on? Where can I watch it?
The Celebrity Traitors starts on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. The brand new series begins at 9pm and kicks off with an extended 70-minute special. It continues the following night with an hour-long instalment.
Episodes will then continue to air twice weekly, on Wednesday and Thursday evenings at the same time.
