Richard E Grant has strenuously denied claims he orchestrated an early exit from The Celebrity Traitors by revealing his status as a Faithful-hunter.The actor, 69, was the first person to be banished in the current series of the BBC show after he revealed he was a Traitor when asked by comedian Joe Lycett, 38. In what has been dubbed the biggest gaffe in Traitors history, Richard said in a room full of his Faithful co-stars he had been chosen, before trying to cover it up as a joke.Following backstage reports from sources that Richard ‘was there for a good time, not a long time’, he has spoken out about the accusations.In a post on social media on Tuesday, Richard said: ‘I usually wouldn’t comment on things like this, but I’ve been made aware some press outlets are suggesting I ‘staged’ my Traitors reveal to get out of filming.’This is categorically false. I’m an avid fan of the show and have been since it first aired. Richard E Grant has strenuously denied claims he orchestrated an early exit from The Celebrity Traitors by revealing his status as a Faithful-hunter The actor 69, was the first person to be banished in the current series of the BBC show after he revealed he was a Traitor when asked by comedian Joe Lycett, 38’Being picked as a Traitor when I was convinced I’d be a Faithful was an absolute dream and a sheer shock to the system.’It comes after Richard claimed he did not think his co-stars would take him seriously when he told them he was one of the Traitors.Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire, he said: ‘When he [Joe Lycett] said ‘are you a Traitor?’ we had just come out of being nominated and I thought ‘yeah, isn’t everybody going to say that?’ and they didn’t, so I paid the price.’Richard also fell victim to blurting out private information months before the show even aired.BBC went to extraordinary lengths to keep the outcome of Celebrity Traitors under wraps, but they appear to have their work cut out for them this year.A string of incidents left show bosses increasingly on edge, with fears of a potentially catastrophic leak mounting despite stringent non-disclosure agreements designed to keep the closely guarded secrets under lock and key.One breach of the rules involved Richard and happened four months before the show even launched, with a BBC insider telling this newspaper: ‘Players have once again been reminded about keeping the outcome of the game to themselves following a number of incidents’.BBC presenters Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie explained Richard’s Traitors reveal wasn’t the first time Richard blurted out he was a Traitor when he wasn’t supposed to. Julie Hesmondhalgh has revealed she was forced to remove herself from the Celebrity Traitors’ WhatsApp group in order to avoid spoilers from her own co-starThey say Richard told them during an interview in June, adding that their ‘brilliant producers’ were forced to cut parts of the interview due to his slip-up.On a recent episode of their Radio 6 Music show, they shared: ‘People were saying when Joe Lycett said to him on Traitors, “What are you?” and he says “Traitor” that was his downfall, but if they had been listening in June, you would have heard that he revealed it earlier, so we took this out because we didn’t want to spoil your enjoyment.’Now that Richard’s fate has been revealed, Mark and Stuart played the original clip from the interview, where they asked the Oscar-nominated star if actors have an advantage on the show.He responded: ‘You would think so, but the very nature of being an actor is that you rely entirely on the camaraderie of the people that you are working with and to trust them, and when you are a Traitor it’s far more challenging than you might anticipate.’You would think it would be easy for actors; I think the reverse is the case.’Contestants on The Traitors, both celebrity and civilian versions, face potential lawsuits and fines of upwards of £100,000 for breaching their non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).The celebrities signed the documents before heading to Ardross Castle in Scotland to film the series in May, with Ross Kemp saying the NDA was ‘longer than the Bayeux Tapestry’.The Mail understands that the BBC are aware of Richard’s interview slip-up and will take no further action. Elsewhere, Julie Hesmondhalgh revealed she was forced to remove herself from the Celebrity Traitors’ WhatsApp group in order to avoid spoilers from her own co-stars. Contestants on The Traitors, both celebrity and civilian versions, face potential lawsuits and fines of upwards of £100,000 for breaching their non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)Appearing on BBC Breakfast, she said: ‘People were sharing who’d won at one point, and me and a couple of other people removed ourselves because we just don’t want to know.’Meanwhile, Joanne McNally, who is a Faithful, confirmed on her podcast she knows who wins.And news of who made it to the final has reportedly been leaked over the weekend by someone close to one of the players.’It’s vital the leaks don’t make it to gossip forums online and on social media where fans can find the information,’ one source said.Sarah Fay, the show’s executive producer, previously confirmed the team were rocked by Richard’s Traitor admission as it went against the rules of the game.Recalling the moment it happened, she said: ‘It was a mixture of a little bit of sick coming up in my mouth and a punch at the same time.’We’ve never had anything like that happen before.’I mean, what? Within five minutes of being out of the Round Table, he’d already mucked up. I still can’t believe it now. Never in our wildest dreams did we think that we’d have a Traitor admit they were a Traitor five minutes after the Round Table.’In the handover of the Traitor robes after his blunder, Claudia Winkleman reminded Richard he was obliged to keep his identity secret but added: ‘Can I say already: iconic.’ The Daily Mail contacted the BBC for comment. The Celebrity Traitors line-up 2026 Jerry Hall Jerry Hall, 70, rose to fame in the Seventies and became one of the era’s most recognisable fashion icons Richard E Grant Richard E Grant, 69, is celebrated for his roles in everything from the cult classic Withnail & I to modern flicks such as Everybody’s Talking About Jamie James Blunt James Blunt, 52, shot to global fame with his debut album and the hit single You’re Beautiful Ross Kemp Ross Kemp, 62, who recently returned to EastEnders to reprise his role as hardman Grant Mitchell, is said to want to challenge himself Michael Sheen Michael Sheen, 57, is celebrated for his incredible performances across stage and screen, particularly his work in Good Omens and The Queen Rob Beckett Best friend of fellow Traitors star Ranganathan, comedian Rob Beckett, 40, is known for his high energy and booming laugh Sharon Rooney Sharon Rooney, 37, is best known for her breakout role as Rae Earl in the acclaimed series My Mad Fat Diary Joanne McNally Joanne McNally, 43, is known for her brutally honest humour and hilarious takes on dating, chaos and modern life Amol Rajan Journalist and broadcaster Amol Rajan, 43, has carved out a successful career across major UK media, including radio and television King Kenny King Kenny, 29, is a content creator known for his prank videos and street-style social experiments Sebastian Croft Sebastian Croft, 24, is best known for his breakout role as Ben Hope in the Netflix series Heartstopper Maya Jama Maya Jama, 32, is quickly becoming one of the UK’s most popular stars and famously fronts Love Island Miranda Hart Miranda Hart, 53, broke through with her hit sitcom Miranda, which became a resounding success and cemented her as a comedy legendRomesh Ranganathan Romesh Ranganathan, 48, has been taking British TV by storm in recent years is known for his deadpan delivery James Acaster Comedian James Acaster, 41, is good friends with Ed Gamble, who hosts The Traitors: Uncloaked. The duo present the hit food podcast Off Menu Bella Ramsey Bella Ramsey, 22, rose to fame as Lyanna Mormont in Game Of Thrones and gained global acclaim for their leading role in The Last Of Us Leigh-Anne Pinnock Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 34, is known as a member of the girl group Little Mix, which found fame on The X Factor in 2011 Joe Lycett From TV stunts to clever public pranks, Joe Lycett, 38, has built a reputation as one of Britain’s most inventive comics Hannah Fry Mathematician and broadcaster Hannah Fry, 42, is known for turning complex data into engaging content for viewers Julie Hesmondhalgh Julie Hesmondhalgh, 56, is best known for her long-running role as Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street – the first transgender character in a British soap opera Myha’la Myha’la, 30, is known for her striking portrayal of brutal fintech expert Harper Stern in the HBO drama Industry