The Traitors UK wouldn’t be the same without our favourite jumper-wearing presenter (Picture: BBC)
Claudia Winkleman might be the jumper-wearing, quick-witted linchpin bringing dazzle to the UK series of The Traitors, but she almost didn’t even return for season 2.
In the New Year, the tantalisingly tense BBC competition is back with an all-new cast, as the Faithfuls use every tool in their disposal to try and root out the Traitors hiding among them.
The first series had viewers on the edges of their seats as they wondered if the Faithfuls who reached the end would manage to split the grand cash prize, or if a Traitor would snatch it away at the last moment.
There was no surprise that the show’s return for a second outing delighted audiences across the nation – but in another reality, Claudia might not have been back as the dramatic host.
In a recent interview, she said that she was ‘feeling nervous and weird’ about the prospect of returning, considering just how brilliant the first season had been.
‘I originally said, “Let’s just leave it as this magical thing that happened.” Then the head of BBC took my temperature,’ she told Heat magazine.
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‘I just don’t want people’s expectations to be so high.’
Claudia stressed that the game is ‘compelling’ and it ‘taps into something I’ve been told all my life’, which is to ‘trust your gut’.
‘But it turns out you can’t. You know absolutely nothing,’ she added.
The 51-year-old compared her stint on The Traitors to her role as co-presenter of Strictly Come Dancing with Tess Daly, when she has a far more cheerful demeanour with the competitors.
‘On Strictly Come Dancing I’m like a cheerleader,’ she said.
Referring to the beginning of The Traitors UK season one when two people were booted out straight away in shocking scenes, she continued: ‘When they sat me down and said I had to kick two people out, I was like, “Don’t be ridiculous I can’t do that.”
Claudia’s knitwear on The Traitors quickly became legendary (Picture: BBC)
‘I do have to be quite cold. Sometimes I’m on the side of the Traitors and sometimes I really want the Faithful to get one of them. They work in equal measure because I respect game play above everything.’
In The Traitors, all of the participants have to work together to take part in challenges that will increase the total amount of money in the prize pot.
However, if there are any Traitors left at the end of the game who haven’t been found out by the others, then they can steal all of the money for themselves, rather than splitting any of it with their fellow contestants.
It’s a suspense-filled game of cunning, manipulation and skill – and we can’t wait to see what the second season has in store.
The Traitors will launch on Wednesday, January 3 at 9pm on BBC One, and episodes 2 and 3 will be available on iPlayer immediately after.
The show will then air Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights.
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The Traitors UK wouldn’t be the same without our favourite jumper-wearing presenter.