A Traitors star has been booted out of the BBC gameshow after a heated episode
Kimberly Nhundu Under 35s Screen Time reporter
21:38, 14 Jan 2026
A contestant on The Traitors has been axed from the BBC castle just days before next Friday's (January 23) finale.
In Wednesday's (January 14) instalment, Faithfuls Harriet and Matthew were granted the opportunity to interrogate The Traitors directly, whilst the villains remained concealed behind a confessional-style wall.
Former barrister Harriet, 53, seized the moment to voice her shrewd suspicion that Rachel is amongst the cloaked antagonists. Speaking directly to them, she declared: "If my voice is asking it is not through nerves, it is through anger that you have taken me for a fool."
She went on: "I am as certain as I can possibly be that Rachel is in that confessional. I think tomorrow it will be very interesting to see who acts in Rachel's defence."
The crime writer felt emboldened to challenge them directly because she couldn't be murdered that night. "There is nothing that you can do to stop me," she warned, reports Wales Online.
However, The Traitors were spared the task of eliminating Harriet, as she was ultimately banished by her fellow Faithfuls at the roundtable.
Harriet's departure followed a dramatic revelation during the morning's breakfast gathering. The novelist finally disclosed her identity to the group, confessing that she had been operating "undercover" from the very beginning.
"I have been acting, as it were, undercover for the past couple of weeks," she revealed.
"I'm actually a published author of several psychological thrillers. And I was, in a former life, a criminal barrister. Let's be clear, I kept it quiet from the very start because as soon as I was chosen as a Faithful, I would have been walking around with a great fat target on my back."
Harriet then set her sights on Traitor Rachel, announcing to the entire cast: "Rachel, my intention tonight at the roundtable is to lay out my evidence for why I think that you are a Traitor."
This revelation left Rachel and Stephen rattled, but the other contestants found Harriet's behaviour suspicious, leading them to vote against her.
In an unexpected turn of events, Harriet pleaded with the other players to vote her out so they could confirm she was a Faithful. The contestants honoured her request and wrote Harriet's name on their boards, resulting in her departure from the game.
The ousted player was a firm favourite among viewers who took to social media to express their shock at her bold strategy.
Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer said: "Harriet that was some cracking TV thank you for your sacrifice."
Another added: "Harriet going out on a blaze of glory."
A third fan declared: "Harriet will go down as the greatest and smartest Faithful in the show's history."
And a final viewer criticised the Faithfuls for losing yet another team member, stating: "Idiots! they can't see what's in front of their eyes."
The Traitors continues on BBC One and iPlayer tomorrow at 8pm