Celebrity Traitors: Richard E Grant’s shocking blunder leads to historic first-round banishment as Myha’la is also voted out and Hannah Fry joins the Traitors
Richard E Grant’s dream of becoming a Traitor on Celebrity Traitors ended almost as soon as it began after the actor made a spectacular blunder that exposed his secret role to the other contestants. His departure made history on Thursday night, with the Faithfuls successfully identifying a Traitor at their very first roundtable.
The 69-year-old received 16 of the 20 votes, making his banishment a landslide victory for the Faithfuls. But Grant’s exit was only the beginning of a chaotic episode that also saw Myha’la become the second contestant banished, Professor Hannah Fry recruited as a new Traitor, and three more celebrities placed in danger of murder.
Richard E Grant’s dream role ends in disaster
Grant had been eager to take on the role of a Traitor long before joining the BBC reality show. However, his enthusiasm got the better of him just hours into the competition when he inadvertently revealed his allegiance to the group.
At the first roundtable, the actor addressed his fellow contestants before confirming his fate.
“I have always wanted to be a Traitor, as you know. Sometimes in life your dreams do come true, and sometimes they don’t,” he said, before admitting: “I am an unfaithful Traitor!”
With 16 votes against him out of a possible 20, there was little doubt about the outcome. Grant was banished, bringing his time in the game to an abrupt end.
Reflecting on his downfall, he admitted that he had effectively outsmarted himself.
“I’ve been annihilated. I have managed to checkmate myself, which, as far as I’m aware, has never been done!” he said.
The actor also anticipated the reaction of his daughter, adding: “My daughter is going to be like, ‘Oh, Dad,’ but I’ve just had a blast.”
In his exit interview, Grant was equally candid about the scale of his mistake.
“It was a completely catastrophically idiotic thing to do!” he said, imagining the disbelief among the show’s production team when they realised what he had said.
“I can only imagine the faces of the producers looking at each other and mouthing, ‘he said WHAT?!’”
Grant explained that he had watched every version of the game he could find and had been determined to secure the Traitor role. Once he was finally given the opportunity, however, his excitement overwhelmed his self-control.
“I’d watched every iteration that I possibly could have of this game, and I was manifesting, willing myself to get invited to be a Traitor, so receiving that… well, I lost all sense of self-control.”
He acknowledged that his enthusiasm had handed the Faithfuls an extraordinary early advantage.
“I’ve managed to checkmate myself which as far as I am aware has never been done. It was a double-edged sword of the joy of being so glee-filled that they got one so early in the game. I gave it to them on a platter.”
Claudia Winkleman celebrates a historic moment
Back at Ardross Castle, host Claudia Winkleman announced the result to a delighted group of celebrities.
“Players, this has never happened before. Your first try and you’ve got one!” she told them.
EastEnders star Ross Kemp was particularly jubilant after the Faithfuls successfully uncovered their first Traitor, celebrating the achievement with an enthusiastic: “Get in there!”
The moment marked an extraordinary start to the series, with the contestants managing to eliminate a Traitor at the first roundtable.
Viewers, meanwhile, were left torn between amusement at Grant’s costly mistake and disappointment at losing him so early in the competition.
Many took to X to express their frustration, with one describing the early departure as “Gutting that we have lost Richard E Grant so early.”
Another wrote: “I can’t believe already Richard E Grant is gone.”
Others lamented the prospect of watching the series without him, with one fan posting: “Wdym we won’t have Richard E Grant as our traitor for the next few weeks my man didn’t even get to murder properly #TheCelebrityTraitors.”
One viewer summed up the moment by writing: “The Man. The Myth. The Moment. Richard E .Grant, take a bow.”
Another joked that the show would suffer without him, writing: “Traitors will suck now without Richard E .Grant.”
Despite the laughter surrounding his mistake, some fans felt genuinely sorry for the actor and believed he might have lasted much longer had he kept his secret.
“I genuinely feel so bad for richard e grant i think he could’ve gone far,” one viewer wrote.
Another admitted to feeling emotional about his elimination, despite the fact that he had openly revealed his identity as a Traitor.
Hannah Fry recruited as a new Traitor
Grant’s departure created an opportunity for the remaining Traitors to strengthen their position.
Following his dramatic exit, Maya Jama and James Acaster headed to the turret and decided to recruit Professor Hannah Fry as a replacement Traitor.
The recruitment added another layer of uncertainty to the game, with the Faithfuls left to work out what had happened.
At breakfast, the contestants realised that either Professor Fry or Jerry Hall should have been murdered. With neither having been eliminated, the group had reason to suspect that the Traitors had recruited someone instead.
The development left the Faithfuls facing a fresh challenge: identifying the new Traitor while continuing to protect themselves from the existing members of the secret group.
Celebrities battle through a demanding castle mission
Away from the roundtable drama, the contestants faced their third mission, which required physical effort and teamwork.
The group had to push a heavy battering ram to four different crypts and smash through their doors. Inside, they discovered money for the prize fund and highly sought-after shields.
Their efforts secured £6,000 for the prize pot, although only Ms Jame managed to leave the challenge with a shield.
The mission offered the contestants another opportunity to increase the potential winnings while adding to the tension surrounding their survival in the castle.
Myha’la becomes the second contestant banished
The episode delivered another major shock when Faithful Myha’la was voted out at the second roundtable.
The Industry actress had attracted suspicion because of her changing stance towards Grant. She had initially backed him before switching her vote at the last moment, ultimately voting against him.
Her behaviour raised further questions when she gave Grant a seemingly suspicious wink as he left the competition.
As the accusations mounted, Myha’la attempted to defend herself during the tense roundtable. She fought back tears while addressing the other contestants, but her explanation was not enough to save her.
Before leaving, she thanked her fellow celebrities for the experience.
“I have loved getting to know you all; thank you for loving me,” she said.
She also offered a warning to the remaining Faithfuls, suggesting they might be underestimating their opponents.
“I will say to the Faithfuls I don’t think the Traitors are as dumb or as silly or as confused as you think they are. I think they are a lot smarter. But I have been a Faithful.”
In her exit interview, Myha’la reflected on how quickly she had formed a close bond with Grant, a connection that ultimately contributed to her downfall.
“I immediately got close to Richard, just because I feel like we’re twin flames. Really, I shouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him, which is ultimately, I think, my demise,” she explained.
Her elimination prompted an emotional response from viewers on X, many of whom felt she had been treated unfairly.
“Myha’la deserved better,” one fan wrote.
Another posted: “My beautiful princess myha’la banished from traitors ITS NOT FAIR.”
A third lamented her departure, writing: “A star too bright for this season. Oh Myha’la this cast didn’t deserve you, I miss you so much already.”
Others suggested that her empathy had made her an easy target, with one viewer commenting: “Myha’la literally got targeted for being empathetic.”
James Blunt, Bella Ramsay and Sebastian Croft face the next threat
The drama continued right up to the episode’s closing moments, when the show delivered its familiar murder cliffhanger.
The Traitors were left considering three potential victims: James Blunt, Bella Ramsay and Sebastian Croft. One of the three is set to leave the competition in the following night’s episode.
With a new Traitor recruited and another Faithful banished, the remaining contestants faced an increasingly complicated game. Grant’s extraordinary mistake had given them an early victory, but the latest developments suggested that uncovering the remaining Traitors would be far from straightforward.
James Blunt provides an unexpected shower-scene moment
Amid the suspicion and tense confrontations, viewers were also treated to a lighter moment involving James Blunt.
The BBC audience saw the You’re Beautiful singer in the series’ first memorable shower scene, filmed in the castle’s Gothic-style bathroom.
Wearing a shower cap, Blunt was shown scrubbing himself under the water, offering a brief and unexpected change of pace from the night’s banishments, recruitment drama and looming murder threat.