I remember when Alan Carr was heading up to Ardross Castle to film Celebrity Traitors last spring – he actually told us all he was convinced he’d be one of the first voted out, thinking he’d barely last a day! It was so funny to hear him say that, knowing how the show goes.
He’d see them ‘very soon’, he said. They weren’t so sure, however.
As followers of the hugely popular BBC1 series now know, Alan has lasted much longer than that.
He not only made it through the first 24 hours, but he’s now one of the top five and the frontrunner to win the show’s first celebrity competition next week.
He’s become so popular so quickly that many people now expect him to be the next host of Strictly Come Dancing, after Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly leave the show.
One insider told me: ‘More people are watching Alan than are watching Strictly right now.
‘He’s been catapulted to the A-list. The star dust is practically dripping off him.’
Was this good luck, or the reward for years of dedication and hustle in the entertainment industry?
Everyone who knows Alan insists it’s most definitely the latter.
Viewers of Celebrity Traitors – a show with 14 million watchers – were shocked by a normally well-liked contestant’s surprisingly cutthroat actions. He particularly surprised people by eliminating his friend Paloma Faith and actress Celia Imrie on Thursday’s episode, cleverly deceiving the other players. However, those who know him personally weren’t surprised by his strategic and calculating gameplay.
They insist his bubbly, self-deprecating manner masks a ‘super competitive streak’.
People see him as funny and easygoing, but according to my source, that’s a complete misrepresentation of who he really is.
Honestly, I’ve been digging into his background, and it all makes so much sense now! He’s always seemed so incredibly resilient, and it’s because of how he grew up. Imagine being a bit of an awkward, chubby kid, and also openly gay, in a house totally dominated by football! His dad was the local manager, you see, and he was the oldest son… it was a super ‘macho’ environment, all ‘Match of the Day’ and everything. It really forged this amazing steeliness in him, and I just find that so inspiring!
He also benefits from a close group of successful women who, according to sources, motivate him to achieve his goals and take the lead.
Alan, 49, is best friends with singer Adele, whom he first met at the BRIT awards in 2008.
They’re incredibly close – so much so that the 37-year-old not only led the ceremony at Alan’s 2018 wedding to his now-ex-husband, Paul Drayton, but she also covered all the wedding expenses.
He also considers television presenter Amanda Holden, 54, a close friend. Together, they co-host the popular BBC shows Amanda & Alan’s Italian Job and Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Job, where they renovate dilapidated properties in Italy and Spain, turning them into stylish hotels and homes.
According to a source, Alan is very close friends with some incredibly influential women in the entertainment industry.
These women are strong and inspiring, constantly encouraging him to reach for greater heights. Both are highly driven themselves, and they motivate him to be equally ambitious.
People close to Alan mention he’s been spending time with Simon Cowell through Amanda, and Cowell is known as one of the most driven and influential figures in the UK. One source wonders if some of that success might be inspiring to Alan.
When Alan went into the castle in June, he competed against celebrities like Jonathan Ross, Kate Garraway, and his friend, the singer Paloma Faith. Paloma, age 44, was surprised and eliminated first after Alan ‘killed’ her character in the very first episode.
The Traitors had to secretly touch the face of another player to eliminate them, and they chose Paloma as their target. They felt it would be less suspicious for Alan to touch her, as he already knew her, compared to touching someone he didn’t.
After leaving the show (which was filmed earlier this year), Alan revealed that Paloma, who is pregnant with her third child, was deeply hurt by the betrayal, but they are trying to repair their relationship.
Watching Alan, I was really struck by how naturally he could just…disappear into a scene. It wasn’t just a skill, it showed me a completely different side of him, a side I hadn’t seen before. It was fascinating!
A friend of Alan’s says he’s just as kind and genuine off-screen as he appears on it. However, once he realized he could overcome his challenges and continue working, he started showing a much tougher, more determined side of himself.
He refused to lose after this setback. He was accustomed to being supportive and letting others succeed, but this time, he was determined to fight back and wouldn’t hold back any longer.
‘Alan is no fool and he is no pushover underneath it all. He speaks his mind.
He doesn’t put up with foolishness. He’s achieved a successful career even though he wasn’t born into fame. It takes a strong and determined person to succeed like that.
Indeed it does.
In 2023, Alan’s ITV sitcom, Changing Ends, drew on his own experiences with being bullied as a child.
I’ve always believed that embracing what makes you you is key, and Alan Carr really opened up about how tough it was growing up feeling different. He talked about it so honestly in his 2016 memoir, ‘Alanatomy,’ sharing how things like his glasses, teeth, and even his distinctive voice made him feel like an outsider. He revisited those feelings when he was on ‘Desert Island Discs’ a couple of years later, and it was incredibly moving to hear him speak so openly about it.
‘I was bullied, but I was really annoying,’ he said on the BBC Radio 4 programme.
When asked about coming out, Carr responded that he’d never felt the need to ‘come out’ at all. He explained that people had been teasing him about his sexuality since he was very young.
He didn’t just have a hard time with his peers while growing up. His father, Graham, also found it difficult to support his son’s decision about what career to pursue.
Having played and managed football – including time with Northampton Town, Blackpool, and Maidstone – he was deeply immersed in the competitive world of sports and wanted his son to become an athlete too.
I’ll never forget when Alan told his dad he was going to Middlesex University to study performing arts. He actually turned it into a funny bit in one of his shows later on – it was so him! It really showed his personality and how he could find humor in anything.
He joked about a conversation with his father, recounting it like this: ‘Dad: “Alan, why are you doing this to me?” Alan: “I’m not sure, Dad, but I can explain it with a dance!”‘
He remembered his father attempting to end a friendship, worried it would lead him to be perceived as gay.
After university, Alan relocated to Manchester to pursue a career in comedy. He spent five years working at a call center, but dedicated his free time to performing stand-up, where he gained a strong fanbase and won several awards.
In 2006, he gained widespread recognition co-hosting the comedy show The Friday Night Project on Channel 4 alongside Justin Lee Collins. He quickly became well-known, making appearances on the popular comedy panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. More recently, in 2019, he joined RuPaul’s Drag Race UK as a judge.
Alan also hosted a Radio 2 show Going Out with Alan Carr between 2009 and 2012.
Two years ago, I visited Alan in Corfu while he was filming the ITV reality show, ‘Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream,’ with Zoe Ball.
It was around then that people found out he’d lost the chance to be a judge on Britain’s Got Talent – Bruno Tonioli, a former judge on Strictly Come Dancing, had gotten the position instead.
Alan was very close to landing the part and had already started preparing, even buying new clothes for it. He was reportedly very upset when he didn’t get the role.
I really enjoyed Alan’s humor and company, but he was definitely the one calling the shots. He stated right away that he wouldn’t respond to any questions he didn’t approve of during our interview.
Honestly, seeing him potentially land the main job on Strictly feels amazing, especially considering how unfairly he was treated on Britain’s Got Talent. It’s like everything worked out perfectly, and it’s incredibly satisfying to see him succeed after that whole situation.
According to a source, he’s a classic entertainer who would be an ideal host for Strictly Come Dancing. If he wins The Traitors, it could convince the BBC he has the charisma needed to lead one of their most popular shows.
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2025-11-01 02:05