Celebrity Traitors' Richard E Grant names his OTHER "calamitous" mistake

Richard E. Grant has admitted to a huge mistake he made while appearing on Celebrity Traitors - no, not that mistake. The Saltburn star dumbfounded his fellow contestants and viewers alike when, just moments after being picked as a Traitor, he decided to tell everyone else that, too.

Despite trying to pass the gaffe off as an eccentric joke, and despite the best efforts of his fellow Traitors Maya Jama and James Acaster to take the heat off him, Richard became the first celebrity banished from the castle.

He also made Traitors history as the Traitor caught earliest in the game during the very first Round Table.

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But that gaffe wasn't the only mistake he believes he made, opening up about his regrets on recruiting comedian James A as a Traitor instead of journalist Amol Rajan.

His and Maya's decision to recruit James A meant that Amol became the first celebrity to be murdered during this season, a choice Richard described as "calamitous" because James A "didn't defend me at all".

"Amol had been asking me questions, and was absolutely vehement that I was definitely a Traitor. I knew that I was absolutely in his sights, and then James Acaster, I was told, was the most trustworthy player," Richard explained.

"So, if somebody was going to be able to calm the waters, deflect, and defend my having said this stupid thing, he would be the one.

"In retrospect, I made a second calamitously ill-judged decision by choosing him because he didn't defend me at all.

"All he was thinking about was, 'I’m now a Traitor and I must get rid of Richard as quickly as possible', which he did. Exactly what I would have done if I'd had the smarts that he does!"

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Richard admitted he expected the Round Table to go the way it did and wasn't surprised that Maya and James A voted for him given all the attention he'd garnered.

"It didn't surprise me because they have to save themselves, and at the Round Table," he said.

"James never uttered a word, other than when he was asked, 'Who have you chosen and why?' He never said a word before, so he clearly listened to everything, and it was a tsunami of my name round the table. So, to have gone against that like Joanne [McNally] did is risking your neck."

His prediction for the rest of the game is that he "hopes and believes" Maya and James A will go on to win the second season of Celebrity Traitors.

Celebrity Traitors will air weekly on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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Freelance Reporter, Digital Spy Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more. Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club. LinkedIn