Kate Garraway's true thoughts on Claudia Winkleman as she admits Celebrity Traitors 'nerves'

Following a difficult period that saw her husband, Derek Draper, pass away from complications after a serious bout of Covid-19, Kate Garraway reveals she’s finally allowing herself to “have fun and make a little mischief” on the BBC’s Celebrity Traitors.

Chatting to Best magazine, Kate admitted she likely wouldn’t be anyone’s top pick for the more physical challenges: “I probably won't get picked first for the athletic stuff – but unlike school, you can't get your mum to write you a note to get you out of it!”

A devoted Traitors fan, Kate said she began watching the programme with fresh eyes after agreeing to take part: “When I knew I was taking part, I started to watch it all again and I saw it differently. Then I started to get pretty nervous, as it can get really brutal at the Round Table, can't it? So I just decided not to overanalyse and go for it.”

The key factor that helped Kate overcome her anxiety before heading to Ardross Castle was her bond with Traitors presenter Claudia Winkleman.

“I love Claudia and have worked with her on other projects, and I just knew that she would have me in fits of giggles and be so supportive of everyone,” Kate said.

She added that she had been looking forward to a lighthearted break after a challenging period: “I've been through so many challenges over the last five years. I've faced a lot of actual life-and-death moments, and I've done a lot of crying over all that's happened to our family.

"It's all been so serious. So this felt like a chance to have fun and make a little mischief in what I genuinely believe is the best game.”

Returning to her regular role on Good Morning Britain, Kate confessed that she hadn't been conscious of certain incidents that occurred within the castle until after the programme was broadcast on the BBC.

Speaking about Olympian Tom Daley giving her “the side eye” during the second episode, she said: “You don't know until it goes out. So I didn't notice that. I was just flabbergasted.”

She continued: "The weird thing for me is, like everyone at home, we don't know anything that is happening. We don't know about the people talking about us behind our backs, and it prompted a massive conversation with my kids last night."

Kate explained: “‘Oh my gosh, people are talking about you behind your back – what is going to happen?’ It allowed me to have the conversation with them that this is a game and everyone in there is playing a game.

"Actually, in life, you can't control what people say about you, so you just have to be yourself. I just had to say that so people don’t blame Tom Daley or anyone else.”

Meanwhile, Tom revealed he hadn’t realized how transparent his reaction had been: “I don't even remember having any kind of reaction to it,” he said. “When I saw it, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, there was no poker face from me.'”