Hannah Waddingham reveals why she turned down Celebrity Traitors despite Ted Lasso's co-star's appearance

Hannah Waddingham has revealed why she turned down a spot on The Celebrity Traitors, despite the chance to appear alongside her Ted Lasso co-star.

The 52-year-old actress, known for playing football club owner Rebecca Welton on the hit sitcom, said she was asked to appear in the first series of the hugely popular BBC game show.

Speaking on The Jennifer Hudson Show, the actor said she would be too frightened, describing herself as a “great big scaredy cat”.

Hannah Waddinham has described herself as a ‘scaredy cat’

She explained that despite her “great buddy” Nick Mohammed appearing in the inaugural series, she decided she would rather watch from the safety of her home.

“This whole thing with the hoods and burying people alive – I don’t care whether there’s a crew there or not.

“Hell no. No. No. I’m going to watch at home with a nice red wine and some crisps.”

The first season featured Hannah Waddingham’s Ted Lasso co-star Nick Mohammed

PA

The actor turned on fellow Faithful Joe Marler in the final vote, choosing to banish Joe instead of Carr.

“I had got it in my head, two or three days before the end, ‘I think I’ve been completely hoodwinked by Joe,’ and then everything is confirmation bias,” he told The Telegraph last month.

Waddingham is also known for starring in Netflix’s Sex Education as well as in the new Amazon Prime series Ride or Die opposite Octavia Spencer.

Claudia Winkleman, Alan Carr and Nick Mohammed at the Celebrity Traitors 2025 final

BBC/Studio Lambert/Paul Chappells

Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, The Celebrity Traitors features 21 famous contestants who must seek out the traitors among them, who “kill off” players in the middle of the night.

The first series of the celebrity spin-off debuted last autumn and became a ratings winner for the broadcaster, with its nail-biting finale hitting a peak of 15.4 million viewers – the biggest TV audience of 2025.