Celebrity Traitors bosses have hired mental health experts over fears for the stars’ wellbeing.
The hit BBC One competition can be mentally and physically exhausting for the players as the show’s premise relies on deceit and can perpetuate mistrust and paranoia among the celebrities.
Despite being several weeks into the show, Traitors Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross, and Cat Burns still remain undetected and stars like Paloma Faith, Stephen Fry, Mark Bonnar, and Celia Imrie have been banished or “murdered”.
The BBC are focusing on duty of care and have hired chartered psychologist Victoria Plant and psychotherapist and counsellor Tanya Taylor-Wright, both of whom are named in the credits after each episode, to help the star-studded cast.
“People may think it is just a telly show, but when you’re living the game 24/7, it takes a toll,” a source told The Sun.
“It was made clear to the celebrities that help was on hand for them if they were struggling with the mind games.”
The insider added: “There is a duty of care in television now, so medical experts are employed on set, but it was of paramount importance on The Traitors because of the nature of the show.”
A BBC spokesperson added: “Since the very first series in 2022, we have had a dedicated welfare team and psychological support on hand at all times who monitor and regularly speak to all of the players in private to ensure they feel comfortable throughout the entire process.
“Our priority is and will continue to be supporting the well-being of our cast, and this is the case before, during, and after filming.”
It is understood that the same support system is in place for both the celebrity and civilian versions of The Traitors.
Chat show host Ross, recently admitted he “didn’t enjoy” the experience of being a Traitor on the series.
“I am pleased I did it – an extraordinary experience – but I did not enjoy the duplicity as the game progressed. It’s a tougher psychological challenge than I expected,” he said on Instagram.
Rugby star Joe Marler, who is one of the few remaining Faithfuls, added last week that he felt “incredibly uncomfortable” on the show.
"I felt incredibly uncomfortable doing it. You think in the rugby world, you think rugby is massive, you are in it and you think it is massive," he said on Jamie Laing's Great Company podcast.
"You come out of it, go into a normal world and they go, 'Who are you then? What do you do?'"
"And you go, 'Oh, I used to play rugby.' And they go, 'What, like, [rugby] league?' It was really good. To have a bit of perspective on it."
