The Traitors presenter Claudia Winkleman fought back tears on the spin-off Uncloaked as she reflected on her “emotional” reaction to the BBC show’s eventful final

It’s been a dramatic night for fans of The Traitors, with the BBC One series airing its jaw-dropping final and crowning its 2025 champions. While it was an emotionally charged episode for the contestants, it was just as teary for host Claudia Winkleman – who fought back tears while talking about filming the show.

Appearing on The Traitors: Uncloaked, which aired immediately after the finale, Claudia told host Ed Gamble that she found watching the episode back “very emotional”.

“My eye make-up is deeply smudged, even more than usual. I found it very emotional,” Claudia said about watching the finale. “The last three days were very emotional because Minah went and Charlotte was brilliant. Freddie didn’t want to be a Traitor and he was amazing…It was very emotional and very tense.”

Tonight’s final saw the last remaining five contestants fight to win the £100,000 prize
Later in the episode, Charlotte and Leanne were talking about sharing a moment in the kitchen alone where they spoke about knowing that Charlotte was a Traitor. A visibly upset Claudia said: “It really made me cry. I was watching upstairs – I can’t cry now. I was watching you both in the kitchen,” she said, voice breaking.

Uncloaked host Ed provided some comic relief, adding: “I mean it would help our ratings if you had a little cry.”

Tonight’s finale saw Faithful contestants Leanne and Jake walk away with the £100,000 prize, splitting the winnings after banishing Charlotte, Alexander and Frankie. Earlier in the episode, Frankie found out that Charlotte was a Traitor after winning the power of The Seer and convinced her fellow contestants to banish Charlotte ahead of the firepit ceremony.

Despite there being just four Faithfuls left, the group decided to banish twice – saying goodbye to Alexander and Frankie before ending the game.

Claudia opened up to Uncloaked host Ed Gamble about her time on set
Fans took to social media to share their thoughts on the results, with many threatening to “call Ofcom” after Alexander’s banishment. “Alexander I am sorry these people can’t be trusted, I am contacting ofcom,” wrote one. “I feel bad for Alexander,” said a second, while a third commented: “They just didn’t deserve Alexander.”

Others were angry at Frankie’s banishment, with one viewer saying: “The only reason a traitor was even found was thanks to Frankie and she doesn’t even win. GOODNIGHT.”

You can stream The Traitors third series on BBC iPlayer.