Claudia initially turned down The Traitors and told husband it would flop while filming for series one

Claudia Winkleman has revealed that she originally turned down the job hosting The Traitors, and even when she was out in Scotland filming the first series, still wasn’t sold. 

The show is now one of the biggest in the UK right now, and she’s reflected on how wrong she was, as it would seem Claudia really wasn’t convinced the concept would take off. She has now called the job as host “the greatest honour of my working life”, but she definitely didn’t always feel that way. 

Claudia has had the job of hosting The Traitors and The Celebrity Traitors since 2022, but at first, she turned the job down. She believed filming would take away too much time from her family life. A producer then told her to watch the Dutch version of the show, get an idea of what it was all about, and then make her final decision. She was hooked. 

“I’m always in bed at 9pm with my book, but I started watching [Dutch Traitors], and at midnight, I sent her [the producer] a text saying, ‘I’ll buy my own ticket’,” Claudia told Harper’s Bazaar Magazine.

via BBC

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But, when she arrived at the castle in Scotland to film series one, it would seem Claudia had a bit of a wobble. She shared what she rang her TV producer husband Kris Thykier to say, and it sounds as though she was anything but convinced. 

Telling the publication about the call, Claudia revealed: “We had no idea [if the show would take off]. My husband rang to ask how the filming was going, I said, ‘I’m standing in the Highlands wearing red fingerless gloves and carrying a ceremonial pouch – I think it’s over. But I’ve had a good run’.” 

Something clearly changed, as speaking about how she feels about the show now, Claudia said: “I find the whole thing fascinating. It’s such a good game. I’m so into it, like I’ve never been on anything else. I live and breathe it.” 

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