Clare Balding has opened up about life inside The Celebrity Traitors castle - and it sounds like the real battle wasn’t with the Traitors, but with the table.
Speaking on The Sports Agents podcast ahead of the series finale, the veteran broadcaster said she found the show’s “pack mentality” difficult to stomach, calling the roundtable scenes “cruel.”
“I find the whole environment where people are being set on each other very difficult,” she said. “I think you’re abnormal if you don’t find that! It’s tough.”
Balding also hinted that contestants with a sporting background, including herself and Olympic diver Tom Daley, were treated as less intelligent by their fellow players.
“A lot of my friends are PE teachers, and they find they don’t get listened to, whereas the History or English teacher has status,” she said. “Those roundtable situations where certain voices carry more votes — there are lots of factors behind that — but it’s real.”
Reflecting on her early mistake in the first team challenge, where she accidentally locked in the wrong answer, Balding admitted it was mortifying. “It was the most awful sensation. I just thought, ‘I’ve let everyone down,’” she recalled. “We still won the money, but I felt dreadful.”
The broadcaster said fellow contestant Celia Imrie was one of several who struggled with the game’s more ruthless aspects. “Celia said a number of times how cruel she thought it was,” Balding said.
“She said it in her exit interview, but also to me early on. It is hugely engrossing - a fascinating study of human psychology, how people behave when they’re under pressure, and how difficult it is to defend yourself when you’re being attacked.”
But not all was bleak in the castle. Balding had high praise for England rugby star Joe Marler, who she believes will “fly” after his turn on the show - even tipping him for Hollywood.
“What an amazing opportunity for people to see both Tom Daley and particularly Joe Marler,” she said. “I could see Joe getting parts in films after this. You know - Guy Ritchie films!”
And as for that moment, Celia Imrie’s accidental fart during a mission, Balding confirmed it wasn’t the first. “She’d already done it in the car,” she laughed. “She said, ‘I’m sorry, darling, have I farted?’ I said, ‘Yes, you did.’ She said, ‘I just do it when I’m nervous!’”
The full interview with Clare Balding is available now on The Sports Agents podcast via Global Player, YouTube and all major platforms.
