ROGUES GALLERY?

Which of these famous faces will hoodwink them all? Presenter Claudia Winkleman and three of the 19 contestants discuss trust and deception as The Celebrity Traitors hits our screens.

- By LYNN RUSK

Claudia, 53, admits she was scared when the idea of a celebrity edition was first pitched.

“I was scared. Only because I'm in love with this show and I wanted to keep it small,” says the London-born broadcaster.

“Once a year, or maybe once every two years, felt like enough. My bosses, thank goodness, ignored everything I said.”

Asked about the lineup of celebrities, she adds: “It’s an absolute honour. I could barely breathe when I saw them all in the Highlands. I'm such a fan of every single one of them.

“The whole team were just in awe, it was hard not to scream, ‘you're here!’ When I talked to Stephen Fry, I almost welled up; I told him, ‘this was my dream’ We're incredibly lucky to have the cast that we have.

Each one of them is tremendous.”

Winkleman, who also co-hosts Strictly Come Dancing, says staying in character was harder with the celebrity series.

“The biggest challenge was being ‘strict,” she explains. “All I wanted to do was chat and be friendly, but my role is aloof and grumpy. I found it hard not to just sit down with them and have a cup of tea.”