By Ahmed Abdelsalam
Singer James Blunt said he felt “betrayed” by comedian Romesh Ranganathan during the final of the BBC reality series Celebrity Traitors, after Ranganathan voted to banish him despite both being faithful contestants.
Final vote and reaction
Blunt, 52, and Ranganathan, 48, reached the final three alongside actor Sebastian Croft, 24. Believing Blunt was a traitor, Ranganathan cast his vote for Blunt’s removal, a move that shocked the singer. Blunt then voted for Ranganathan, but was ultimately banished, leaving Ranganathan and Croft as the winners. All three participants were faithfuls.
Blunt’s radio interviews
Speaking on LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Blunt revealed he had initially no interest in reality shows and his manager had declined the invitation. His wife later signed him up for the series. On BBC Radio 2’s Sara Cox Breakfast Show, Blunt described the moment Ranganathan voted against him as “treacherous,” but insisted there is no bad blood between them. “Romesh and I are really close, actually; I promise we’re really good friends,” he said.
Record viewership
The finale drew an average overnight audience of 11.2 million viewers, peaking at 11.6 million on BBC One with a 62.9 per cent audience share, making it the most-watched episode of the celebrity spin-off to date.
Charity prize
The winning pair split the £83,000 prize money between their chosen charities, Choose Love and the Refugee Council.
