Why Ross Kemp is well prepared for Celebrity Traitors
Actor and award-winning journalist Ross Kemp is heading to the Celebrity Traitors castle. Here’s why the presenter of several Sky HISTORY shows will be one to watch.
Image: Ross Kemp: Mafia and Britain
Actor Ross Kemp rose to fame playing the no-nonsense Grant Mitchell in EastEnders. Since his first departure from the show in 1999, Kemp has further cemented his ‘tough guy’ credentials with his jaw-dropping, hands-on approach to documentary filmmaking.
How hands-on? Often, pretty literally – as with Kemp’s Sky HISTORY series Deep Sea Treasure Hunter, which saw him retrieve surprising artefacts from the sea bed. Kemp also hasn’t shied away from uncompromising subject matter, such as the criminal underworld in Sky HISTORY’s Mafia and Britain.
In these programmes, Ross has shown an array of qualities bound to serve him well on his next TV project – The Celebrity Traitors. Ross was recently announced as one of the famous faces set to compete in the second series of the hit reality show. Here’s why he’s Sky HISTORY’s favourite to win it all when the series airs this autumn.
Why is Ross Kemp joining The Celebrity Traitors?
The star-studded lineup for the next Celebrity Traitors was officially unveiled on 2nd May 2026. However, The Sun got the scoop on Kemp’s involvement the day before, just as filming was about to begin at Ardross Castle in Scotland.
Ross previously turned down I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, which has incidentally been previously filmed at another British castle, Gwyrch Castle. So, why did Ross agree to Celebrity Traitors? An insider told The Sun: ‘He loves Traitors and thinks it’s a programme on another level, which is why he really wanted to take part.’
‘Ross loved the mix of psychological intrigue paired with some of the very physical trials that the group have to complete – both suit him perfectly.’ Viewers of his Sky HISTORY programmes will be hard-pressed to disagree. Whether Celebrity Traitors host Claudia Winkleman casts Ross as a Faithful or a Traitor, there are good reasons why he will excel either way.
Who else is set to appear on The Celebrity Traitors?
There’s a strong comedic presence in the new cast, including stand-ups James Acaster, Joanne McNally, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan. We also get thespians Bella Ramsey, Michael Sheen, Richard E Grant and Sharon Rooney as well as singer James Blunt and presenter Maya Jama.
Mathematician Professor Hannah Fry and journalist Amol Rajan are certainly contestants you would expect to have the intellectual nous to weed out the Traitors. However, Kemp’s amiability – as demonstrated by his accessible style even when discussing hard-hitting subjects – could play a big part in helping him to elude suspicion.
Kemp’s ‘hardman’ image could also prove a formidable asset at the Round Table. Harry Clark, who won the non-celeb Traitors in 2024, has suggested that contestants might be unwilling to accuse Ross of being a Traitor. ‘If you think it’s him how do you even tell Ross Kemp you think it’s him! I’d tell him and then be like yeah sorry I ever thought it was you!’
Ross shows off his ‘brawn and brains’
The next Celebrity Traitors will have 21 competitors in all, but only one athlete, boxer King Kenny (better known as a YouTuber). Naturally, Kenny can’t be expected to take over all the physical grunt work when a mission calls for it, especially if he gets banished early. So, who else will step up?
With his diving experience, Ross is the obvious candidate. Deep Sea Treasure Hunter saw Ross explore a range of shipwreck sites, from the English Channel to the Red Sea. In a Sky HISTORY interview, Ross revealed: ‘It’s not just about making sure that you can survive underwater, it’s understanding the science behind why you can survive underwater.’
Encouragingly, recent photos of the Celebrity Traitors filming show Ross retrieving cargo from an apparent shipwreck. In the pictures, he also wears a captain’s hat. An insider told the tabloid that Ross is ‘already considered the Daddy of the group. He’s been showing off his brawn and brains but also his more considerate side, trying to bring the whole group together on the first mission.’
Why Ross will truly be the boss
Having spoken to former mafiosos on Mafia and Britain, Ross won’t be fazed by his Celebrity Traitors rivals’ attempts to intimidate him. He will also be ready to handle difficult conversations. We’ve already seen him do exactly that on plenty of his documentaries, including Crime+Investigation’s look at toxic masculinity, Lost Boys, Deadly Men.
So, no matter whether Claudia Winkleman assigns him to be a Traitor or a Faithful, the Traitors' castle may well have met its match.
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