Celebrity Traitors star Julie Hesmondhalgh has revealed her unexpected favourite from the BBC series, admitting Ross Kemp won her over during their time in the castle.
Reflecting on her experience after being banished, the actress praised the former EastEnders star and explained why he had made such a lasting impression on her.
“Ross was also the big, unexpected love for me in this series. He’s just wonderful,” she told the BBC.
Julie was particularly amused by the contrast between Ross’s real-life experiences and his nerves during the game.
“I’ve never seen anyone as terrified of being pretend murdered in my life, who at the same time talks constantly about all the things he’s seen and done in his life, and they are horrific,” she continued.
Celebrity Traitors star Julie Hesmondhalgh reflects on her exit
Julie’s time on the show came to an end last night (October 9), when she was voted out at the round table. She received nine votes, compared with Professor Hannah Fry’s six, before revealing she had been a Faithful all along.
Romesh Ranganathan came to her defence, highlighting how much the group’s opinion of her trustworthiness had changed.
At the beginning of the series, Julie had been voted the most trustworthy contestant. Although she was touched by the recognition, she worried that being singled out so early could put a target on her back.
She also feared that her enthusiastic introduction to the group, while wearing a bright red dress, had made it difficult to go unnoticed.
Her determination to expose Myha’la, who was later revealed to be a Faithful, ultimately contributed to her downfall.
When the group confronted her at the round table, Julie felt she struggled to defend herself while Hannah successfully fought her corner.
“Hannah was doing a brilliant job of defending herself, and I was absolutely rubbish,” she admitted.
Julie also recalled how her mouth had dried up during the tense exchange. This left her feeling that she appeared guilty despite being innocent.
Catching Richard E Grant was a highlight for Julie
Despite her disappointment at being banished, Julie had one major achievement to look back on: helping identify Richard E Grant as a Traitor early in the game.
“It was the best feeling, I cannot begin to tell you how incredible that feeling is,” she said.
She went on to compare the excitement to some of life’s biggest milestones. “Right up there with marriage and childbirth!” she said. “But of course it created this atmosphere of such cockiness and such blood thirstiness. It was a bit of a poisoned chalice ultimately.”
Nevertheless, Julie described her time on the BBC programme as a joyful experience. She revealed that there had been plenty of laughter throughout the days spent filming.
She added that she would miss being part of the show.
Ross Kemp faces danger on Celebrity Traitors
Julie’s unexpected favourite now faces another potentially dangerous moment in the game.
Ross, Rob Beckett and Romesh are all at risk of a face-to-face murder after taking part in a hide-and-seek challenge around the castle crypts.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock is also part of the situation, but she has a protective key. Should the Traitors select her, they could be left without a victim.
With Julie now out of the competition, she has offered the remaining Faithful some advice: look beyond the most obvious suspects and consider those closest to them.
Celebrity Traitors returns to BBC One next Thursday at 8pm.
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