Overview
- Winkleman told Harper’s Bazaar that she initially rejected the BBC offer to host The Traitors before watching the original Dutch series and texting an unnamed executive, “I’ll buy my own ticket.”
- She has since gone on to present four series of the BBC gameshow and two celebrity editions, making the format a regular part of her post-Strictly career.
- Winkleman left Strictly Come Dancing in 2025 and launched The Claudia Winkleman Show on BBC One in December 2025 but said she will not make a second series because she prefers working within a set format.
- The most recent Celebrity Traitors run concluded in late October/early November and featured on-air surprises such as Richard E. Grant accidentally revealing his role and James Acaster admitting he was a traitor.
- Her account highlights how screening international originals can sway high-profile talent and suggests commissioners may lean on proven foreign formats when recruiting presenters; the full interview appears in Harper’s Bazaar UK’s December/January issue on sale 6 November.