'Gutted' Tameka Empson breaks silence after Celebrity Traitors banishment

Celebrity Traitors star Tameka Empson has confessed she feels "disappointed" byClaudia Winkleman for failing to select her as a Traitor.

The BBC programme has launched with a spectacular beginning, as the Strictly Come Dancing presenter returned to the Scottish Highlands alongside 19 famous faces determined to deceive, backstab and manipulate their way to £100,000.

After winning over viewers nationwide when the civilian version debuted in 2022, the cherished murder mystery game show has come back stronger than before.

From Alan Carr's dramatic reveal to fellow Traitors Cat Burns and Jonathan Ross in the tower, Charlotte Church digging her own grave, and Clare Balding's catastrophic blunder in the opening challenge, this series looks set to surpass all expectations with its star-studded line-up.

Nevertheless, the merciless eliminations and killings have commenced, with Niko Omilana, Tom Daley and Tameka becoming casualties in tonight's instalment, following Paloma Faith's murder as the first celebrity victim last week, reports the Daily Record.

Viewers were outraged to discover Niko and Tom's fate at the start of the episode, with Tameka later banished as suspicions began to grow.

She's now broken her silence during an episode of spin-off Uncloaked, saying: "I am so gutted I'm out."

Speaking to host Ed Gamble, she went on to say she was "slightly disappointed" that Claudia didn't pick her as a Traitor.

She continued: "But at the same time, for me then, I was processing. I thought, 'Now I'm a Faithful, how do I play the game as a Faithful?' Because in my mind, I've always been a Traitor. So now, it is like, how do I do this?"

The Kim Fox actress went on: "I'm so upset, and I even messed up my outro as well. I wanted to cuss and carry on!"

"It is what it is," she added.

After her banishment, Tameka admitted she felt that being a Traitor would be a "headache".

She shared: "I think Claudia saw the faithfulness in me. And now I think about it, being a Traitor is a headache.

"It's a lot of game playing, and you're going to be up later than anybody else.

"I think it was right for me to be a Faithful, and I really wanted to be a great Faithful. I had plans to lead the Faithfuls to victory, but that was cut short."

She added: "I was very emotional. In my mind, I thought, I'm not going out. I was sad to leave the game, because I was really getting to know people.

"And, you know, in this industry you get to know people to a certain point. In this environment, it was really lovely to spend this length of time and really get to know everyone. Jonathan is a big teddy bear. He really is. So is Big Joe."

The Celebrity Traitors continues tomorrow night at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.