Romesh Ranganathan, winner of BBC's Celebrity Traitors, has spoken out about his decision to betray singer James Blunt in the show's tense finale, admitting the move "will stay with me for a long time." Ranganathan and actor Sebastian 'Bash' Croft were crowned champions of the reality competition on Friday night, successfully sharing the £83,000 prize.
Blunt, a musician and contestant on the show, was close to securing a portion of the prize money but was blindsided when Ranganathan questioned his status as a 'Faithful.' Blunt insisted Ranganathan was mistaken, but it was only after Croft intervened to defend Blunt that Ranganathan reconsidered. Following the banishment of another contestant, King Kenny, Ranganathan and Croft voted to end the game, which inevitably led to Blunt's elimination when he voted for another banishment.
Appearing on Monday's The One Show, Ranganathan addressed rumors of a feud between himself and Blunt. "I feel really bad about that, and it's gonna stay with me for a long time, what happened," he stated. He quickly moved to dispel any lingering resentment, however, confirming, "He texted me. I just wanna get this out in the open, James Blunt and I are friends, OK? It's all good." Ranganathan humorously added that Blunt had texted him, "I know where you live."
Ranganathan explained that Croft's persuasion influenced his final decision. "I trusted Bash, and we were like, 'Let's end the game,' and when (James) decided to go again, I was like, 'Oh no!'" He also shared that a WhatsApp group with all cast members exists and suggested they plan to meet up.
The Celebrity Traitors finale, despite some critics deeming it "underwhelming," drew a record-breaking 11.2 million viewers, marking the highest overnight and consolidated TV audience of 2026 in the UK. This figure surpassed the 11 million viewers who tuned in for the 2025 series finale.
Ranganathan and Croft each received £41,500 for their chosen charities: the Refugee Council for Ranganathan and Choose Love for Croft. The comedians embraced as host Claudia Winkleman congratulated them on their victory.
Ranganathan expressed pride in his friendship with Croft, stating, "My biggest highlight is making a friend in Bash - relying on the fact that I thought he was a friend in that end game and that paying off, that is something I feel really good about." Croft described the win as potentially "the best day of my life."