Clare Balding ‘annoyed’ after learning Celebrity Traitors’ identities

Clare Balding has said she is “cross” after learning who the Celebrity Traitors are following her elimination from the hit BBC show.

The veteran sports broadcaster was the third “faithful” to be eliminated from the series, as the three “traitors” – Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr and Cat Burns – continue to evade detection.

The 54-year-old received seven votes from her fellow contestants during Thursday’s episode of the BBC reality gameshow (16 October), before revealing that she was a faithful.

Leaving the series, Balding said: “I came in with anyone’s strategy, which was to be nice to absolutely everyone, and I have had the best time, and I love all of you. I am, and I have been, from the start, faithful.”

Appearing on its aftershow, Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, Balding admitted that she should have maintained her suspicions about Jonathan Ross, but ultimately voted for Charlotte Church during the roundtable. “Honestly, that makes me cross because I so nearly last night went on a big one on Jonathan,” she added.

Balding was equally annoyed at discovering Alan Carr was a traitor, having also suspected the comedian, yelling: “Dammit. I was right and nobody listened.”

open image in gallery

The show’s host, Ed Gamble, complimented Balding for not being “far off the mark”, adding that he had been hoping she would follow her theory about Carr after he “murdered” his friend Paloma Faith.

“I’m most annoyed about Jonathan because I think if me and Charlotte would had trusted each other, then we would have got him,” Balding said.

Balding, though, did praise singer-songwriter Cat Burns for doing an “amazing job” as a traitor.

Elsewhere in the latest episode of Celebrity Traitors, Irish actor Ruth Codd was the latest contestant to be “murdered”.

The 29-year-old was eliminated at the start of the episode, following a discussion in the turret during which Ross said she was “the only sensible choice”.

open image in gallery

After opening her letter telling her she had been murdered, Codd said: “I was murdered definitely because I was a threat to the traitors.

“I was one of the few people in the group that had my own mind that couldn’t be influenced. I’m mentally extremely strong and stubborn. I really do wish the faithfuls the best of luck.”

Codd’s elimination comes after former Olympic diver Tom Daley and “Never Tear Us Apart” singer Paloma Faith were already murdered by the traitors. YouTube star Niko Omilana and EastEnders actor Tameka Empson have both been voted out at separate roundtable discussions.

The Celebrity Traitors continues on Wednesdays and Thursdays on BBC One at 9pm.