The Traitors' most villainous contestant Paul Gorton reveals what the celebrity Faithfuls should do if they want to win the show

Celebrity Traitors is set to return for its hotly-anticipated second season this evening, with the likes of Jerry Hall, Maya Jama and Richard E. Grant set to battle it out and determine who's a Faithful, and more importantly, who's a Traitor. 

Now, one of The Traitors' most villainous contestants Paul Gorton has revealed what the Faithfuls can do if they want to break the Traitors' winning streak following Alan Carr's victory last year. 

Paul, 39, appeared on series two of the civilian show in 2024, where he was made a Traitor on day one and managed to throw a host of Faithfuls under the bus before he was banished in episode eight. 

He became famed for his machiavellian ways, having admitted to reading American Psycho each night to get him into character for the game. 

Paul, who remained largely undetected until fellow Traitor Harry Clark turned on him, has now offered some advice to the celebrity contestants, telling the Daily Mail that they need to flip the game on its head if they want to get ahead. 

He explained: 'I think a lot of people miss the point of the tasks.' 

The Traitors' most villainous contestant Paul Gorton has revealed what the celebrity Faithfuls should do if they want to win the show and break the Traitors' winning streak 

Paul continued: 'Obviously it's to get the money in, but the tasks are so stressful. 

'As a Traitor, you're playing but you have to build relationships with people and I think people should be watching the tasks a lot more.

'A lot of evidence that's used at the round table is how people behave in the tasks, and it's the most excruciating thing.'

Referencing last year's series of The Traitors, when Stephen Libby accidentally outed himself as a Traitor in one of the tasks when he wasn't murdered, Paul went on: 'It was so obvious that it was him. 

'But no one brought it up, and it just shows that the most glaringly obvious things about these tasks aren't seen. 

'And also, in my opinion, the point of The Traitors isn't to find Traitors. The point is to survive to the end. 

'So if you do find a Traitor, you befriend them, you stay close to them, and you take them to the final, and then betray them.

'I don't think anyone's done that accurately yet, but the point is to be fully ingratiated in herd mentality and just follow the group, that's all you need to do.'

Yet Paul can't yet pick who he thinks will go the furthest in the celebrity version, saying: 'You cannot call it with the characters and the way they can turn and change. 

'Look at Mark Bonnar in the celebrity one last year. People were like, "he's an actor, so he'll be amazing. He'll go through to the end because he's used to portraying being in high stress situations." 

'But he was the most overly emotional and stressed one!' 

Paul said: 'It would be amazing to see a catastrophe in the celeb one. But I don't think anyone's going to be proper villainous, because I think, sadly, people are scared of public opinion'

This year, Paul is just hoping that the celebrities aren't afraid to play the game. 

'It would be amazing to see a catastrophe in the celeb one,' he mused. 'Jonathan Ross got there a little bit, he started being a bit maniacal at one point. 

'But I don't think anyone's going to be proper villainous, because I think, sadly, people are scared of public opinion.' 

Paul continued: 'I think what's funny with how the show's turned out is there probably won't be someone as villainous as I am. 

'Because I think now people realise that they can get careers off the back of it, whereas when I was on the show, no one thought you could.

'Now I look back, I think, "God, if I was a good guy, I'd probably be presenting on The One Show or something!"

'I've not watched my season back. I think I would just cringe too much and give myself the ick. I still can't believe I bowed at the banishment!' 

Despite this, Paul would happily return to the show if they ever did an All Stars version, which fans have been calling out for.  

'I see it as national service,' Paul joked. 'If Claudia knocks on your door and says you've been drafted, you're not allowed to say no.

'I would love to go back and bring back 22 former traitors to play. 

'Imagine I'm sat at the table with Jonathan Ross, Harry Clark, Wilf Webster, Minah Shannon, Fiona Hughes, Stephen Libbey and Rachel Duffy and we're all just staring at each other going, where do we begin?!' 

The Celebrity Traitors season two launch episode airs 8PM on Thursday, October 1 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The Celebrity Traitors line-up 2026

 Jerry Hall

Jerry Hall, 70, rose to fame in the Seventies and became one of the era's most recognisable fashion icons 

Richard E Grant

Richard E Grant, 69, is celebrated for his roles in everything from the cult classic Withnail & I to modern flicks such as Everybody's Talking About Jamie 

 James Blunt

James Blunt, 52, shot to global fame with his debut album and the hit single You're Beautiful

 Ross Kemp

Ross Kemp, 62, who recently returned to EastEnders to reprise his role as hardman Grant Mitchell, is said to want to challenge himself

 Michael Sheen

Michael Sheen, 57, is celebrated for his incredible performances across stage and screen, particularly his work in Good Omens and The Queen

 Rob Beckett

Best friend of fellow Traitors star Ranganathan, comedian Rob Beckett, 40, is known for his high energy and booming laugh

 Sharon Rooney

Sharon Rooney, 37, is best known for her breakout role as Rae Earl in the acclaimed series My Mad Fat Diary

 Joanne McNally

Joanne McNally, 43, is known for her brutally honest humour and hilarious takes on dating, chaos and modern life

 Amol Rajan

Journalist and broadcaster Amol Rajan, 43, has carved out a successful career across major UK media, including radio and television

 King Kenny

King Kenny, 29, is a content creator known for his prank videos and street-style social experiments

 Sebastian Croft

Sebastian Croft, 24, is best known for his breakout role as Ben Hope in the Netflix series Heartstopper

  Maya Jama

Maya Jama, 32, is quickly becoming one of the UK's most popular stars and famously fronts Love Island

 Miranda Hart

Miranda Hart, 53, broke through with her hit sitcom Miranda, which became a resounding success and cemented her as a comedy legend

Romesh Ranganathan

Romesh Ranganathan, 48, has been taking British TV by storm in recent years is known for his deadpan delivery

 James Acaster

Comedian James Acaster, 41, is good friends with Ed Gamble, who hosts The Traitors: Uncloaked. The duo present the hit food podcast Off Menu 

 Bella Ramsey

Bella Ramsey, 22, rose to fame as Lyanna Mormont in Game Of Thrones and gained global acclaim for their leading role in The Last Of Us

 Leigh-Anne Pinnock

Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 34, is known as a member of the girl group Little Mix, which found fame on The X Factor in 2011

 Joe Lycett

From TV stunts to clever public pranks, Joe Lycett, 38, has built a reputation as one of Britain's most inventive comics

 Hannah Fry

Mathematician and broadcaster Hannah Fry, 42, is known for turning complex data into engaging content for viewers

 Julie Hesmondhalgh

Julie Hesmondhalgh, 56, is best known for her long-running role as Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street – the first transgender character in a British soap opera

 Myha'la

Myha'la, 30, is known for her striking portrayal of brutal fintech expert Harper Stern in the HBO drama Industry