Charlotte Church says Celebrity Traitors ‘restored’ her faith in famous people

Welsh singer Charlotte Church has said appearing on The Celebrity Traitors “restored” her faith in famous people.

Cardiff-born Church, 39, who was “murdered” by the traitors during Wednesday night’s episode of the hit BBC One show, admitted she often keeps out “of that whole celebrity scene”.

The spin-off, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, has had a treasure trove of viral moments, and is “the ultimate game of deceit and betrayal”, according to a description from the BBC.

Reflecting on her time on the show, Church said: “It was way more intense than I expected.

“It has restored my faith in celebrities a little because, generally, I just really keep out of that whole celebrity scene, and I have perhaps been a little bit too harsh in my judgment of celebrities.

“It was wonderful to spend time with some really very interesting people.

“I think that’s been my favourite part of the experience. Genuinely, to just be in the company of some extraordinary people with extraordinary stories and minds was the best bit.”

Church was a faithful on the show, which involves players attempting to win a charity prize by identifying a small group of secretly assigned traitors before they are banished from the game or “murdered”.

She said: “I was really happy to be a faithful. I think even if the traitors had tried to recruit me, I would have said no.

“I just don’t think I would have been able to hack that level of constant deception.

“I think you need to really want it, and you need to be really up on the strategy of the game and working all the angles in order to be a good traitor.

“I just didn’t want that sort of experience. I wanted a bit of an adventure, something different and a challenge.

“Really, as a traitor, you have to hide but you’re in receipt of all the facts and I think that makes the game easier in a way, and less emotional.

“I think it’s much more emotionally wrought when you’re a faithful.

“That said, I don’t know what it is to be a traitor and what that experience is to be feeling guilty potentially.”

She added: “I’ve learned quite a lot about myself. I’ve learned that I do feel things very deeply, which I knew anyway, but I thought I would be able to switch it off a bit more and I really couldn’t.

“Not that I want to. Part of what I’m doing in my life now, and the work that I’m doing in the world, is all about re-sensitising the heart and not numbing out feelings.

“I just felt such deep empathy for everyone in there.

“I also learned that I really enjoy solitude.

“I’ve got such a busy life, which is so constantly full and surrounded by other people, that having those times when you had a moment, didn’t have phones, didn’t have distractions, I was really happy with that and it felt quite peaceful.”

The Celebrity Traitors continues on Thursday at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.