Claudia Winkleman's 'Traitorous' S Club 7 Interview Resurfaces Amidst Record Ratings for Celebrity Traitors

Claudia Winkleman has returned to television, with the latest season of Celebrity Traitors achieving record-breaking ratings. As millions tune in to watch Winkleman host the popular show, a resurfaced interview from 2003, where she questioned the pop group S Club 7, has been shared by fans on social media, with some calling the moment "traitorous."

The clip, shared by Winkleman's former Liquid News co-host Colin Patterson on Instagram, captures an interview where Winkleman pressed S Club 7 members about their manager Simon Fuller's finances and rumors of the band being unhappy about their earnings. Winkleman asked the group, "Mr Simon Fuller has 90 million in the bank. There are rumours that you guys are grumpy because you guys haven't made mint..."

Despite attempts by band members Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, and Hannah Spearritt to deflect the questions, Winkleman persisted. Jo O'Meara responded by stating they were "all really really lucky to be where we are today at our age and have the bank balances that we do have."

During the interview, S Club 7's publicist entered the studio to halt the line of questioning, stating, "Can you not ask this question please... I'm not having it. I've tried to stop this and I've had to walk in here... we are going," before the group walked off set. Liquid News aired the interview in full, with Winkleman defending her approach by noting the information had been in the papers and she had not been given specific topics to avoid.

The return of Celebrity Traitors has proven to be a ratings success. The first episode of the new season attracted a peak viewership of over nine million, with an average of 8.9 million viewers. This figure surpasses the premiere ratings of previous seasons, including the first celebrity version, which had a peak of 6.5 million viewers, and the civilian series opener, which garnered 6.9 million viewers.

The show's success stands in contrast to the reported ratings slump for Strictly Come Dancing following its new hosting lineup. In Celebrity Traitors, Winkleman has been joined by Maya Jama and Richard E. Grant. Early in the season, Richard E. Grant made an immediate impact by revealing he was a Traitor to fellow contestant Joe Lycett, a move Lycett described as "something that has never happened in the game."

The series premiere also featured a cliffhanger ending, with the first round table discussion concluding abruptly before the contestants could vote on who they suspected as a Traitor. Fans expressed frustration online over the unexpected pause in the show. Celebrity Traitors continues on Thursday nights on BBC One.