Claudia Winkleman confesses she is ‘totally terrified’ to host The Traitors third series and admits she ‘doesn’t exhale until the end of January’ after a hectic work schedule

Claudia Winkleman has revealed her terror at her hit show The Traitors returning. 

The presenter, 52, returns to BBC One with the third series of her hit TV show The Traitors on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of the first episode, she said she’s ‘totally terrified’ about it doing as well as the first two series.

‘I don’t exhale until January 24, I wake up at 4am, even on Strictly Saturday’s,’ she said.

‘I was talking about people’s Cha Chas, but in my head, I’m thinking, well, ‘do they like The Traitors?’

Claudia Winkleman had confessed she is ‘totally terrified’ to host The Traitors’ third series as she said she ‘doesn’t exhale until end of the January’

The presenter, 52, returns to BBC One with the third series of her hit TV show The Traitors on Wednesday

The presenter, 52, returns to BBC One with the third series of her hit TV show The Traitors on Wednesday

‘We’re totally terrified, because the success of the first one blew our socks off. We didn’t expect it.

‘And I just love making it so much. It is such an honor to be in that round table and to see how it unfolds.

‘So I feel incredibly lucky. I love it, and you just don’t want people to be disappointed.’

She went on to say how she stays in contact with ex-contestants from the first two series, and that by the end of filming, most call her ‘mummy’.

‘They’re like my children, who I am sometimes incredibly mean to,’ she said. I love them, each and every one of them. I was texting Maddie from series one the other day.

‘I sent a message to Charlotte’s aunt, Matt from series one, wanted to show me his new skill. It was Skateboarding. They call me Auntie Claude or mummy by the end, it’s weird.

‘So I stay in touch with all of them because, yeah, I’m so grateful for them for playing and playing the way they do. I really cried when somebody was banished this year, but properly cried and in a way that I thought was probably but unhealthy.

‘And two of them came out, and they were awesome. Three of us just cried together. We go deep.’

Speaking ahead of the first episode, she said she's 'totally terrified' about it doing as well as the first two series. 'I don't exhale until January 24, I wake up at 4am, even on Strictly Saturday's,' she said

Speaking ahead of the first episode, she said she’s ‘totally terrified’ about it doing as well as the first two series. ‘I don’t exhale until January 24, I wake up at 4am, even on Strictly Saturday’s,’ she said

She went on to say how she stays in contact with ex-contestants from the first two series, and that by the end of filming, most call her 'mummy'

She went on to say how she stays in contact with ex-contestants from the first two series, and that by the end of filming, most call her ‘mummy’

Claudia teased a ‘new format’ for the third series, which will have people on the ‘edge of their seats’.

After such success of the UK series, which is filmed at Adross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, an American version was also launched.

Hosted by Alan Cummings, she said she struggles to watch it because she’s territorial over the castle.

‘I’m not saying anything bad, but I can’t watch him, because he’s in my castle,’ she said.

‘Like, what are you doing? It was so weird. He’s not weird. He’s absolutely magical. But I watched a bit, and no.

‘He’s so much better. And I love his outfits, but it’s a different way of doing it, because it’s the same location, I’m like, ‘get out of my castle’.’

Last week Claudia revealed to The Midpoint podcast that she initially turned down presenting the show because she didn’t want to spend more than three weeks filming in Scotland.

The star was offered the job but turned it down because she didn’t want to be away from her family.

But, after watching the original Dutch version, she became ‘obsessed’ and quickly fired off an email to BBC bosses changing her mind.

The Traitors returns to BBC One on New Year’s Day at 8pm.

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