Celebrity Traitors star said producers were ‘like human traffickers’ after being denied phone call

| Senior Film & Entertainment Reporter Published October 15, 2026 11:37am Updated October 15, 2026 11:37am One Celebrity Traitors star was reportedly left unhappy by the show’s strict phone rules (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry) The most star-studded cast of Celebrity Traitors to date continues to supply all the drama after it’s been claimed one star accused the show’s producers of being ‘like human traffickers’. Series two of the celebrity edition has welcomed the likes of Richard E. Grant (well, briefly), Michael Sheen, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, James Blunt, Maya Jama and Miranda Hart to Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands for the famously secretive game. However, it appears that one celebrity might not have received the memo. According to The Sun, one star reportedly let rip in a ‘blistering row’ after being told that their phone calls with family and friends are strictly limited during the shoot, so there was no allowance for casual phone use between scenes. The unnamed contestant’s reaction reportedly also left their castmates rather bewildered too, given that the tight rules around phoning home were made very clear by the show’s team before anyone signed up. A source told The Sun: ‘The celeb couldn’t understand why they couldn’t just call home – despite this being clearly explained to them at the start of the process. The unnamed star reportedly ‘kicked off’, leaving their co-stars baffled (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry) ‘They kicked off and in a rant, compared the team on the show to being like human traffickers.’ The outlet went on to claim that, per the rules, phone calls are allowed – but only under the strictest of circumstances and ‘at the discretion of producers, at select times, on a producer’s phone, and a producer must be present’. Get even more Traitors gossip Want to get all the latest news and predictions for the best and most dramatic show this new year? Sign up to our TV Daily newsletter to get a personalised selection of the hottest takes, latest theories and big behind-the-scenes news every morning. Don't to forget to select 'The Traitors' when you enter your email. Or join our The Traitors WhatsApp channel for live episode coverage, juicy gossip and a place to recover from all the cliffhangers. Simply click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! A show insider also explained that it was ‘to protect the integrity of the game’. However, due to its intense nature, there is a dedicated welfare team on hand 24 hours a day, including psychological support, to look after players during their three weeks of filming. It takes three weeks to film a series of The Traitors, with phone calls only allowed at the producers’ discretion – and in their presence (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry) This latest report comes just weeks after Maura Higgins revealed she used code words to communicate with her team about the show. ‘You get one call a week – [I called] my manager,’ she explained to host Alix Earle on an episode of Get Real With Me. ‘She wanted to know if I was a Traitor or a Faithful, and obviously the producers are in the room listening to your phone calls, so I knew I wasn’t going to be able to tell her. ‘But we had a secret way of telling each other. I told her something like if I mention a series on Netflix, then that means I’m a Traitor. If I don’t mention it, then that means I am a Faithful.’ The Love Island star then recalled how her manager then confirmed her status by name-checking the Netflix show instead in their conversation. Maura Higgins has revealed how she skirted the rules over revealing info on the show with code words (Picture: Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images) ‘And then she brought it up to me and I was like, “No, I’ve not seen that.” So she knew straight away I was a Faithful.’ So in the wake of Maura’s cunning, perhaps the phone restrictions will be looked at once again. This series Richard E. Grant famously kicked things off in style by announcing he was a Traitor publicly to his castmates, promptly leading to his downfall at the first roundtable. Since then, it’s transpired that it wasn’t the first occasion that the Oscar nominee had accidentally let slip his status, after it was revealed he accidentally gave it away during an interview in June with BBC Radio 6 Music. The interview was subsequently edited before broadcast , with the spoiler clip only recently played. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Banished Faithful Julie Hesmondhalgh has also since said that she removed herself from the Celebrity Traitors’ WhatsApp group to avoid spoilers from her co-stars over who made it to the final, after she’d left the game. And given all the above, it’s perhaps unsurprising that it’s already been reported that the players who make it to the very end have been leaked by a friend of one of this year’s contestants. Metro has contacted the BBC and producers Studio Lambert for comment. 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