I was on The Traitors – it was the most intense experience of my life and Claudia Winkleman was NOTHING like I expected her to be

By William On Jan 4, 2025

The Traitors has quickly become one of Britain’s most loved shows, with millions tuning in every night to see if the Faithfuls can root out the devious Traitors and discover who will win the coveted jackpot.

Last year the nation watched some of the most dramatic scenes behind their fingers, shuddering as Diane Carson sipped her effervescent rose, Paul Gorton was outed as a traitor and Harry Clark stole the jackpot from Mollie Pearce in the final moments.

Yet the tension conveyed on screen was nothing compared to the atmosphere in the castle, as Faithful Charlotte Chilton can dispute in season two.

The 32-year-old Recruitment Manager, who became the eighth contestant to be banned from her season, spoke exclusively to MailOnline about her experiences, explaining that she was surprised by many aspects of the show, but especially how deeply it affected her.

“There are so many layers to filming a show with 22 people who have missions, who have exciting moments, the level of secrecy that comes with it,” she explained.

“You feel the pressure, how exciting it gets towards the end when there are fewer people and it’s clear that by then the crew has invested in you too.”

The Traitors star Charlotte Chilton has opened up about her time on the show, revealing her shock at how intense the process was and how surprised she was by Claudia Winkleman

Charlotte was surprised by presenter Claudia and revealed that producers often told her she was getting too involved with the contestants and that she was much nicer than she appears on screen.

Charlotte continued: ‘I didn’t expect that. I thought it would just say, “Okay, good luck, and that’s it.” I didn’t expect it to be as intense as it is.

‘And because of the intensity you build relationships with people much faster than you would if you worked with someone in the office every day.

‘You’re forced to have confrontational conversations and talk about some pretty in-depth things because a lot of the people who use The Traitors have really interesting backstories, everyone wants to know what each other’s backstory is.

“I was also surprised at how nice everyone was!”

Charlotte was also surprised by host Claudia Winkleman, who revealed that the TV personality was often criticized by producers for getting too involved with the contestants.

“Of course she always has an earpiece in, because she presents,” Charlotte explained.

‘So Claudia was regularly criticized and was pulled away from us because she had to be so careful not to give anything away.

‘She’s very strict on camera, but when we weren’t filming she tried to make us laugh as much as she could!

‘She is a very funny woman by nature and she is very caring. She is very motherly, which I didn’t expect.

“I didn’t get that impression from her on television, so when I met her it was really shocking to me.”

The cast of season two (L-R) Andrew, Jonny, Paul, Jasmine, Charlie, Anthony, Sonja, Aubrey, Diane, Brian, Mollie, Harry, Zack, Evie, Charlotte, Ash, Meg, Jaz, Kyra, Ross, Tracey and Miles

Charlotte continued: ‘She took a real interest in us and said we were all fine emotionally – she was done with hugs and stuff like that. She talked a lot about her family, so that was quite nice.

‘She’s very nice, but she has such a dark humor that she makes it more fun and interesting when you’re standing somewhere waiting to do something.

‘She doesn’t pretend to be nice and is really a diva, it’s quite the opposite. She is even friendlier, nicer and funnier than in real life.’

For now, Charlotte is looking forward to meeting the season three cast.

‘You become a bit of a family and you support each other as a result. It would be very nice to welcome another 22 people to our family. We all get on really well with the cast of series one.”

And for anyone looking to sign up for season four of the show, Charlotte’s advice – while you may have to lie and put on an act in the castle – was that you should be your authentic self during the casting process.

‘They’re looking for people who are sympathetic, who people can advocate for in a show, so going on there and pretending to be something you’re not isn’t going to work.

‘You just have to be yourself, be proud of who you are, just laugh and share your stories. I think the more relaxed you are, the more people will believe in you, and that in turn will help you stand up better against the thousands of people who sign up.

‘It’s such a life-changing experience. Studio Lambert is simply the best company to work with and they really take care of you afterwards. Now we are all very excited to welcome new people to The Traitors family.”