Clare Balding says the pack mentality of The Celebrity Traitors was ‘cruel’ as she insists sports stars were held in a lower regard during roundtables

by

Clare Balding has said the group dynamics on The Celebrity Traitors felt harsh, and she believes athletes weren’t treated with the same respect as other contestants during discussions.

On Thursday’s episode of the hit BBC show, Alan Carr, 49, and Cat Burns, 25, who were working as Traitors, competed against Faithfuls Joe Marler, 35, David Olusoga, 55, and Nick Mohammed, 45, to win money for their respective charities.

Despite the other well-known contestants being unable to discover the Traitor, Alan won the entire series.

Before the exciting championship match that kept BBC viewers captivated, Clare, 54, shared on The Sports Agents podcast that a clear ranking system existed within the sport.

She explained that she sometimes felt personally attacked and hurt by the way the group discussions unfolded, describing the dynamic as ‘cruel’ at times.

She mentioned several times how unfair the situation was, both in her exit interview and in earlier conversations with me, according to her.

It’s incredibly captivating and interesting to explore what drives human behavior – especially how people react under stress and the challenges of protecting yourself when you’re threatened.

Clare observed that during the discussions, celebrities known for their athletic achievements seemed to be less valued than those from other fields, potentially hindering the contributions of herself and Tom Daley.

Many of my friends who teach physical education feel their voices aren’t heard, unlike teachers in subjects like history, English, or science, who are often seen as more respected.

Roundtable discussions often give more weight to certain viewpoints – there are many reasons why this happens – and those viewpoints tend to influence decisions significantly.

Clare revealed what happened after Jonathan Ross, 64, described a difficult moment that deeply upset champion Alan, leaving him visibly distraught.

He joined Kate Garraway and Adil Ray on ITV to discuss the popular series, which concluded on Thursday. They previously appeared together on the show ‘The Traitors’.

Jonathan was eliminated from the show midway through after his fellow contestants discovered he was one of the Traitors.

Jonathan admitted the show was more challenging than he anticipated and that he found it difficult.

He then shared that there was a specific moment the fans missed, and it was the most impactful part for him and Alan.

Jonathan went on to explain that while his cat didn’t seem bothered – she treated it like a game and easily shrugged it off – they often found themselves driving home late at night, feeling defeated and stressed. He described them driving in silence, quietly lamenting how difficult things had been.

Alan and I both knew it was demanding, but despite that, it was a wonderful experience and we felt lucky to be involved.

Entertainment editor Richard Arnold noted that the situation was very tense and stressful.

Jonathan admitted it was awful at times, explaining that as the ‘traitor,’ he had to interact with genuinely kind people he actually wanted to help and see enjoy the show.

‘Then you would suspect, or be fairly certain, they knew it was you.

I always put my full effort into every performance and do everything I can to make the show the best it can be. I’m reliable and consistently show up prepared to work.

It’s tough when you have to remove people, even though you’ve done your job well. Seeing them disappointed, knowing you contributed to that, is really difficult.

‘It’s a horrible feeling, even though it’s essential to the game.

Read More

2025-11-07 21:49