Celebrity Traitors contestant breaks silence on Maya Jama 'betrayal' after banishment

Yet during the subsequent roundtable, both of Grant’s allies broke their allegiance to vote for his banishment.

Speaking on spin-off show The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, Grant said: "I thought Maya would definitely stab me because I put her in an untenable position so I perfectly understood.”

The Withnail and I star said he was more shocked at Acaster’s decision to get him out.

Richard E Grant received votes from the majority of the contestants, including from both of his fellow traitors, Maya Jama and James Acaster

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"I was so convinced by James Acaster’s determination not to kill me off when he gave his big plea in the church after Amol, I naively thought, ‘Oh well, maybe James, because he’s so trustworthy, he would come through for me,’” he said.

"Not one word came out of James’s mouth to support me."

He said: “When I walked into the bar, I was in such a state of genuine shock that I had no memory it was Joe Lycett who asked me that question.

“There was no tactic, it was my 69th birthday present. When Claudia tapped me on the shoulder, I went, yes!”

He said: “The roundtable bit, by the time Claudia has walked round four times, you think by that point, there’s no chance now.

“When she tapped me on the shoulder, I thought ‘Don’t show any emotion whatsoever and you try your best not to.’

“Of course, Miranda Hart, sitting right next to me, I think she said she could immediately feel the vibrations of joy coming out.”

He said he ‘perfectly understood’ why Jama voted for him

BBC

After being voted to leave the castle in Thursday’s episode, Grant stood in front of his fellow celebrities to reveal his identity, saying: “I am… an unfaithful traitor.”

Speaking to the camera, he added: “I have been annihilated. I have managed to checkmate myself, which, as far as I’m aware, has never been done.”

The other celebrities all cheered as he left and host Claudia Winkleman told the group: “Players, this has never happened before. Your first try and you got one.”

After Grant’s banishment, Acaster and Jama recruited mathematician Hannah Fry to be a traitor.

After seeing her fellow traitors for the first time, she said: “I was sure you were faithfuls, you absolute legends. Oh, it’s going to be so fun!”

Later in the episode, Industry actress Myha’la received the majority of votes from her fellow celebrities to be banished.

Despite desperately pleading with her fellow contestants to believe she was one of them, the star failed to shake off their suspicions and was ultimately voted out.