Players banish Celebrity Traitors contestant as another murder looms

Another player has been banished from the castle (BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge/BBC Creative/PA)PA MediaLauren Del Fabbro4 minutes agoThe Weekender

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Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh was banished from The Celebrity Traitors as another player’s fate loomed in the hands of the murderous trio.

The 56-year-old actress received the majority of votes during Friday night’s episode of the BBC reality game show and was forced to leave the Scottish castle.

While revealing her true identity, Hesmondhalgh told her fellow contestants: “You know how much I have loved every second of this experience.

Julie Hesmondhalgh was banished by her fellow players (BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge/BBC Creative/PA)PA Media“It has been immense.

“Alas it may mean that I am not a phenomenal actor, I am indeed a faithful.”

The three traitors, TV host Maya Jama, comedian James Acaster and mathematician Hannah Fry, were told by host Claudia Winkleman to choose four contestants to play a deadly game of hide-and-seek, with one of them killed face-to-face.

Comedians and best friends Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett were picked along with singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock and actor Ross Kemp, and told to hide in a castle crypt in the forest.

Before being sent out, Winkleman told the players that they had a chance of survival by deciding among them who would have a special key which would prevent the traitors from being able to kill them face to face. They agreed to give the key to Pinnock.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock was trusted with a special key during one task (BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge/BBC Creative/PA)PA MediaEarlier in the episode, the Last Of Us star Bella Ramsey became the second faithful to be murdered on the series.

As Ramsey learned their fate, they said: “Oh yes. Thought this might be occurring.

“I think this is a clever move by the traitors. I was going to reset and start from the beginning because I got it so wrong with Myha’la.

“I think that they were right to murder me because I think I would have maybe figured it out.

“I hope the faithful win. I really do. I feel very very attached to the faithful now. Good night. This is the end.”

Bella Ramsey attends the Sunny Dancer premiere at the Genesis Cinema in London. (Yui Mok/PA)PA WireIndustry actress and faithful Myha’la received the majority of votes from her fellow celebrities and was banished from the castle in Thursday night’s episode.

When the series launched last week, broadcaster Amol Rajan become the first faithful to be murdered.

Actor Richard E Grant was then banished from the castle after his fellow contestants grew suspicious of him for telling them within minutes of the traitors being picked that he was one of them.

Richard E Grant was voted off (PA)PA ArchiveThis was the first time a traitor had been caught during the first roundtable in a UK version of the popular international franchise.

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The Celebrity Traitors episode three attracts peak audience of 10.3 million

The third episode of this series enjoyed a peak audience of 10.3 million people.

The Celebrity Traitors returns on Thursday at 8pm on BBC One.