Clare Balding reveals secret list of ‘rude’ celebrities ahead of Celebrity Traitors

Will Clare Balding be adding to that list ahead of the Celebrity Traitors? (Picture: Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Clare Balding is one of the nicest women in British TV – but that doesn’t mean she can’t hold a serious grudge against people who’ve irritated her.

The sporting broadcaster, 54, is set to take part in the BBC’s first ever series of The Celebrity Traitors, which gets under way on October 8.

Clare will be joined in the all-star cast by the likes of Sir Stephen Fry, Alan Carr, and Kate Garraway, among others, as the intense battle of wits begins.

And if a recent confession of Clare’s is anything to go by, some of her fellow contestants on Celebrity Traitors will be keen to stay on her good side.

Speaking at a book festival in recent days, the ITV horseracing presenter revealed that she has an actual blacklist of celebrities who have rubbed her up the wrong way.

‘I keep a list and the list’s name is The W*****r Eleven. Some people go to the bench as subs if they suddenly are nicer than I thought they were going to be, then some new ones appear.’

‘Sometimes people are rude because they are very nervous…’ (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock)

While Clare didn’t reveal the names on the list, she did give reasons as to why some famous faces have ended up on her hypothetical football teamsheet.

‘Sometimes people are rude because they are very nervous or because they are upset at something that has just happened. The difficult ones are the ones who know they should talk and they just don’t.’

Clare was speaking just after the release of her debut novel, titled Pastures New, which was published through Goldsboro Books and unveiled on September 11, 2025.

Don’t get on Clare’s bad side (Picture: Alan Crowhurst/Getty) ‘Friendships went out the window’ on Celebrity Traitors (Picture: Alex Livesey/Getty)

The release of the book comes just a few weeks before her stint on the first-ever series, The Celebrity Traitors, begins, with the new BBC show beginning on October 8.

Just like the civilian version of the series, Celebrity Traitors will see more than a dozen contestants entering into a psychological battle in order to walk away with a large prize fund.

It won’t be revealed until opening night whether Clare is a Traitor or a Faithful, but she did reveal that ‘friendships went out the window’ when asked about the filming process earlier this year.

The Celebrity Traitors gets under way on October 8 (Picture: BBC)

Speaking to The Sun, she said: ‘It is so intense, and you get completely obsessed with the game. Obviously, I knew quite a lot of them before I went in, but the friendships you had before go out the window!

‘That, for me, is very challenging because I like to be friends with everyone. It’s brutal, but I think I’m glad I did it. It will make good TV, and there are some really strong moments.’

However, while some friendships were cast aside, Clare has excitedly revealed that she made lots of new ones during her time filming in Ross and Cromarty.

‘It was lovely to get more time to hang out with people like Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, Charlotte Church, who’s an absolute superstar, and a really cool young singer called Cat Burns.’

So, despite any disagreements they may have during the game, you can safely say that Sir Stephen, Celia, Charlotte, and Cat won’t be appearing in Clare’s ‘W****r Eleven’ any time soon.

Watch The Celebrity Traitors on the BBC from October 8.

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