Ross Kemp Silences Traitors Questions on GMB
Ross Kemp, the EastEnders actor turned documentary maker who once faced down some of Britain's most dangerous adversaries on screen, found his hostile environment training put to the test in a rather different setting yesterday morning.
The veteran presenter appeared on Good Morning Britain to discuss his campaign with Nationwide promoting vital CPR awareness, a cause of genuine public importance. However, presenters Kate Garraway and Ranvir Singh had other ideas, repeatedly pressing him for details about his upcoming appearance on Celebrity Traitors.
Kemp, a man accustomed to keeping his composure under pressure, remained tight-lipped. “I can’t talk about the Traitors castle,” he said firmly, before adding that the experience was “different from anything I’ve ever done.”
Garraway, who appeared on the first series of Celebrity Traitors as a Faithful, attempted to unsettle her guest by tapping him on the shoulder to see if he would flinch. It was a tactic that might work on the uninitiated, but Kemp stood his ground.
The exchange grew increasingly pointed when Garraway continued her probing. Kemp turned to her with a look of quiet bemusement and delivered a withering reminder: “You know the rules. So why are you pushing me?”
Garraway conceded that she did indeed know the rules, having endured her own difficulties on the show. She famously struggled to convince her fellow contestants she was not a Traitor, explaining away her suspicious behaviour by claiming she was simply “a ham”.
“I had such a hard time convincing them I wasn’t a Traitor and now I can’t get an answer out of you!” she admitted.
A Formidable Lineup for the Castle
Kemp will be joined in the upcoming series by a considerable roster of British talent. The full lineup includes Amol Rajan, Bella Ramsey, James Acaster, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, Joanne McNally, Joe Lycett, Julie Hesmondhalgh, King Kenny, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Maya Jama, Michael Sheen, Miranda Hart, Myha'la, Hannah Fry, Richard E Grant, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Sebastian Croft and Sharon Rooney.
Warnings from Within
Meanwhile, former Little Mix star Perrie Edwards has already voiced concerns about her former bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock's suitability for the game. Speaking on the Hanging Out with Ant and Dec podcast, Edwards suggested Pinnock's fondness for mischief could make her a formidable Traitor.
“Oh she is so annoying, I already know she is going to annoy me,” Edwards said. “You don’t understand how infuriating it is, she would lie about silly things so she would do pranks and we’d be like, ‘Leigh-Anne that’s…’ and she’d be like ‘it’s a prank’ and I’m like ‘that’s not a prank you’ve just lied, it’s just annoying.’”
Whether Pinnock or any of her fellow contestants can outwit the group remains to be seen. One thing is certain: Kemp, at least, will not be giving anything away easily.