The Traitors is back for a third series on New Year’s Day and host Claudia Winkleman has shared some ‘exciting’ changes in the ultimate ‘psychological game show’.

Claudia Winkleman has confessed that spilling the beans on The Traitors’ third series would see her sacked from the popular reality TV show. Set to premiere on New Year’s Day, the upcoming season promises a fresh batch of contestants vying for a hefty cash prize that could reach £120,000.

The second series had viewers gripped as “traitor” Harry Clark cunningly clinched £95,000 in a nail-biting finale. Chatting with The Sun, the Strictly Come Dancing star disclosed she’s been gagged from revealing any juicy details about the new instalment or risk losing her gig.

She teased: “I would love to tell you all about series three, but then I will get fired so I can tell you absolutely nothing. What I will tell you is that things are different.”

Winkleman hinted at thrilling twists, adding: “There are some really exciting things that have changed, which keeps everyone on the toes and feeds into the central premise of trust. I can’t wait for everyone to see.”

Claudia Winkleman is back

In The Traitors, inspired by the Dutch show De Verraders, Winkleman picks a few players as traitors while the rest, known as the faithfuls, must suss out the imposters to win the jackpot, reports Lancs Live.

The nation was left gripping their seats as 23-year-old Clark masterfully deceived his way to a staggering £95,150 jackpot on the intense game show, blindsiding his close mate Mollie Pearce into thinking he was one of the ‘Faithful. ‘

Pearce was under the impression they were in it together for a split win, especially when Harry looked her dead in the eye reassuringly saying: “It’s not me.”

The heart-stopping moment played out with viewers hiding behind their hands as an emotional Mollie walked offstage upon the revealing of Harry’s true colours.

The Traitors returns on New Year’s Day
52-year-old host Winkleman confessed that she was caught up in the nerve-wracking final just like viewers at home, attributing the success of the show to its sheer unpredictability.

She explained: “I think that the absolute kicker, the joy of the show, is the game itself. You’re watching a psychological game show, that’s the only way I can describe it.

“You’re watching to see whether people can persuade somebody to think like they do, and even if you know, even if you’re sure of what’s going on, if you can’t persuade them, it’s worthless, and that’s heartbreaking.

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“Last series, the final surprised me as well. I couldn’t look up as it was so tense, but I loved every one at that final roundtable so I was backing all of them, which was complicated.”

The first two episodes of The Traitors will air on January 1 at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.