James Acaster nervously sweats it out at the gym as his Celebrity Traitors co-stars rush to defend his bombshell round table reveal and pals reveal their shock at his unexpected move

James Acaster distracted himself from being the unwitting star of what has become one of the most talked-about TV moments of the year with a trip to the gym on Thursday.

Hours before his bombshell reveal in the penultimate episode of Celebrity Traitors aired, the 41-year-old comedian was spotted working out.

Wearing a t-shirt advertising his comedian pal Paul Williams’ album along with a pair of large headphones, Acaster looked pensive as he picked up a drink and walked home, stopping to check his phone.

On Thursday evening millions tuned in to watch the ‘reluctant Traitor’ out himself at the round table.

The comedian was reportedly so distraught after revealing that he was a Traitor that filming was halted and the welfare team was called in.

The comedian came under fire from actor Michael Sheen, a Faithful, who questioned how he knew about specific details related to the ‘murder’ of Ross Kemp.

Hours before his bombshell reveal in the penultimate episode of Celebrity Traitors aired, the comedian was spotted working out

Acaster then admitted to being a Traitor before he had even been voted off at the Round Table, with one insider telling the Daily Mail that filming was paused because he became ‘anxious’ and had to gather himself before making his speech.

The comedian has previously referenced his autism diagnosis in his stand-up shows, discussing how neurodivergence shapes his perspective and creative process. 

Whilst some fans have called out Acaster for ‘ruining’ the game just one episode before the finale, his co-stars and comedy circuit pals have rushed to defend him – while his close friends have revealed their shock at his unexpected move.

A source close to him admitted on Friday that they had no clue about Thursday night’s admission on the show or how it had affected him.

They told the Daily Mail: ‘He is obviously bound to silence in advance so we have not bothered him. We have not spoken to him about the show.’

Meanwhile, speaking during the episode after Acaster was banished, Romesh Ranganathan shared his pride for his friend of ten years. 

‘The amazing thing about James is that he has done something that I don’t think I’ve seen anybody do,’ fellow comic Romesh told the camera.

‘He played a truly unique game, which was to accept his role, but to do it in as Faithful, helping a way as he possibly could, and that is kind of typical of the sort of thing that James A does, and I respect it a lot.’  

Amol Rajan, who was murdered in episode two after Traitors Maya Jama and Richard E Grant chose to recruit Acaster over him, commented on a clip posted by the BBC, calling the comedian ‘a remarkable soul’.

Strictly host and Acaster’s close friend for years Josh Widdicombe added to the post with a series of heart emojis.  

Broadcaster Dan Walker defended the gameplay, posting on X: ‘ I don’t know why people are angry about tonight’s Traitors.’

‘Great bit of telly and I wonder whether the faithfuls thought about voting for someone else and keeping that person in so they knew the identity of one traitor who they could then remove them in the final.’

TV producer and writer Richard Osman meanwhile pointed out that Acaster carefully chose his moment to reveal all so as not to upset the game completely.    

‘James Acaster throughout this whole process has been looking for an exit door where he doesn’t blow up the whole show, where he doesn’t just quit on the whole thing,’ Osman explained on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast.

‘You know like at a party where suddenly there is a gap between you and the door and you think ‘I could just go now and nobody is going to see me”.

‘I think he just took the opportunity… I think he didn’t want to go into that end game. He didn’t want to go into that bit where you really have to look people in the eye, face to face and say ‘yes it was me’. I think he thought ‘if I go here and now at least Maya and Kenny have a chance.”

‘I think he’s brilliant and he does bend the conventions of everything he does and he did it here and I get it. As gameplay it’s a hand grenade for sure… it’s interesting as a character study, I would absolutely defend his right to do it.’

On Thursday evening millions tuned into watch the reluctant Traitor out himself at the round table

The comedian was reportedly so distraught after revealing that he was a Traitor that filming was halted and the welfare team was called in

Acaster’s close friend and podcast co-host Ed Gamble was the first to interview the star after his banishment, on his Traitors spinoff show Uncloaked.

Viewers noticed though that Acaster’s debrief was unusually short and vague, noting that Gamble didn’t press his friend on his reasons for speaking out at the roundtable.

Acaster has been open about his mental health struggles in the past, bravely sharing his experiences with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts in an interview with the BBC in 2020.

He explained how he first started noticing his anxiety during his relationship with actress Louise Ford, who famously left him for Rowan Atkinson in 2013.

‘I was in a relationship where I was extremely anxious all the time, for about five months. It was unbearable,’ he said. ‘But because the relationship was going badly, I thought, ‘Well, the relationship’s bad and that’s why I feel like this. It’s not a puzzle. I haven’t got anxiety or depression.”

In 2017 the actor experienced suicidal thoughts for the first time after splitting from his girlfriend, fellow comedian Rose Matafeo. Noting that ‘I didn’t attempt it,’ Acaster said ‘I was in New York, the first time I’d ever been, which should have been really exciting. Instead I’d find myself thinking about ways I could kill myself…That scared me.’

‘I’m very lucky, personality-wise, that as soon as I recognise something needs doing, I’ll do it. So as soon as I got back to England I booked a therapy session.’

During an appearance on Celebrity Bake Off in 2019 the star went viral after quipping of his failed attempt at cherry Bakewell flapjacks: ‘I started making it, had a breakdown, bon appétit!’

It was only later that he revealed that he was in the middle of a mental health crisis and hadn’t slept for over 40 hours at the time of filming. After the episode, he reached out to the Samaritans.

In 2020 Acaster said he was attending therapy twice a month and admitted he was prepared for another period of depression of anxiety in the future.

‘There have been three points in my life where things have fallen apart. At 35, I’d be pretty naïve to think it won’t happen again,’ he said. ‘What I’d like is to understand why those three times happened, so if it happens again I can be more on top of it.’

Whilst some fans have called out the star for ‘runining’ the game just one episode before the finale, Acaster’s co-stars and comedian pals have rushed to defend him

Speaking during the episode after Acaster was banished, Romesh Ranganathan shared his pride for his friend of ten years

Broadcaster Dan Walker defended the gameplay, posting on X: ‘ I don’t know why people are angry about tonight’s Traitors’

Amol Rajan, who was murdered in episode two after Traitors Maya Jama and Richard E. Grant chose to recruit Acaster over the him, called the comedian ‘a remarkable soul’

Viewers of Thursday night’s episode of Celebrity Traitors watched as Michael Sheen, 57, turned on Acaster and Maya Jama over Ross Kemp’s ‘murder in plain sight’, saying: ‘If you are Traitors, you’ve done it brilliantly.’

Seeing that the actor had rumbled him, Acaster replied: ‘I understand how you’ve put it all together. I can’t really argue that it sounds feasible, and that sounds like it could have happened. I can promise you that I didn’t spray him.’

In a shock admission, the comedian then turned to the group and said: ‘I just want to explain my situation. I was made a Traitor without wanting to be.

‘I’ve had a unique experience on this that no one has had before, where I wanted to be a Faithful; that’s all I wanted to be. I couldn’t just go, ‘Guys, it’s me, vote for me’. But that’s all I can do, really.’

The insider explained that filming was paused to allow Acaster to calm down before talking to the group.

They said: ‘The pressure got to him, and it was clear he was finding it difficult. Everyone agreed filming should be stopped before things got too heated.

‘Everyone was aware of the pressure getting to James throughout the series; it was difficult to watch him struggling.’

Acaster received all of the votes, and before his exit told his fellow celebrities: ‘When I came into this experience, I told Claudia that all I wanted to be was a Faithful and all I wanted to do was go round this castle and help the Faithfuls as much as possible, catching Traitors. I’m really proud to say that’s what I’ve been able to do under the circumstances.

‘I am, reluctantly, a Traitor,’ he added, admitting a ‘weight has been lifted off his shoulders’.

Acaster’s Celeb Traitors co-stars were spotted arriving at the finale photocall at the BBC on Friday morning. Pictured; Leanne Pinnock 

Finalist James Blunt looked relaxed as he arrived for promo duties 

Sebastian ‘Bash’ Croft flashed a big smile hours before the anticipated final epsiode airs 

Claudia Winkleman dressed in her signature black ready for a day of promo

Jerry Hall looked as stylish as ever in leather trousers and shades for her arrival

Miranda Hart was also spotted at the BBC after her exit from the show last week

Ross Kemp looked dapper in a striped blazer as he prepared to reunite with his castmates after his face-to-face murder 

Amol Rajan gave a thumbs up ahead of the reunion after being murdered in episode two

Uncloaked host Ed Gamble was also spotted arriving for finale day festivities 

Fans dubbed Acaster’s admission the most ‘unprecedented twist in TV history’ as they were left on the edge of their seats.

Reacting to the scene, users on X wrote: ‘Nah James A just gave up on the game completely what am I watching,’

‘JAMES JUST OUTING HIMSELF AS A TRAITOR AT THE ROUND TABLE,’ ‘easily the most unprecedented twist in traitors history’,

‘Our entire living room when James Acaster said he was a traitor before the vote took place #CelebrityTraitors’, 

Ms Jama appeared defeated, telling viewers: ‘Tonight was the hardest night of the whole experience.

‘No words, no thoughts. I knew James didn’t want to be a Traitor after we chose him. There was not one piece of me that could jump up when he said he was a Traitor. I’ve played a good acting game so far, but that part I just couldn’t pretend.’ 

In his exit interview, the comedian said the plan to reveal himself was what carried him through the experience.

‘The idea of doing that got me through the whole experience,’ he said. ‘You feel as a Traitor sometimes, when you see people have real-life reactions that are bigger than the game, you feel bad.’

‘I would have to remind myself they don’t have a game without you, literally; if no one’s doing this stuff, they can’t play, and they all want to play.

‘So you are doing an important job here, so they all have something to do, and when they catch you, they’ll be really happy and they’ll like it, and it will feel good to just tell them and see that reaction.’

Acaster insisted he went into the roundtable feeling safe. ‘I went in thinking, ‘I’ve got no heat on me whatsoever.’ It was a surprise, but I was glad that they caught me,’ he added.

Tonight’s Celebrity Traitors final will see Ms Jama, King Kenny, Romesh Ranganathan, James Blunt, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Sebastian Croft compete to win the prize pot – which currently stands at £64,500 – for their chosen charity.