NRT briefing
Julie Hesmondhalgh left Celebrity Traitors 'with head held high'
Based on reporting by BBC News.
The Brief
Actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, known for her role in Coronation Street, said she left The Celebrity Traitors with her "head held high" after being banished during Friday's episode. The former Corrie star, from Accrington, was a faithful contestant in the BBC One show's second series.
She told BBC Radio Manchester she had "no idea" she would be voted out, but it "became clear it was going to be me and I was a bit worried." She added that she received "some very gratifying apologetic texts" that night.
Hesmondhalgh described the experience as "amazing" and said she was personally recruited while the first series ran in 2025, when producers visited her dressing room during a London play. Keeping the secret was "so, so hard," she said. Now banished, she feels "total relief" watching as a fan, noting her "nervous system will never recover." She is backing fellow contestants Sharon Rooney, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Sebastian Croft.