Celia Imrie insisted she did not expect a certain moment on Celebrity Traitors to ‘blow up’ lke it did
Celia Imrie on Celebrity Traitors with host Claudia Winkleman(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry)
Celia Imrie has revealed that show bosses called to ask her permission before they screened her famous fart on Celebrity Traitors. The actor, 74, had an unexpected moment on the show that went viral last year, thanks to an unlikely moment.
“I didn’t realise it was going to blow up like it did, the reaction was quite something” she said, remembering the reaction to the moment as she lined up to face a challenge alongside other stars.
Host Claudia Winkleman asked what happened and Celia famously replied: “I just farted, Claudia. It’s nerves, but I always own up,” causing hilarity amongst the cast and millions of viewers. But the moment in the series, which was won by Alan Carr, would never have been seen if Celia wasn’t game for a laugh.
Speaking to Saga magazine she said: “The producer rang me beforehand asking if it was OK to show it. That was when I realised it might be something.”
Celia has been asked for advice on the new series by Richard E Grant. “I said it was a cruel game but I had great fun.” She added that she gets stopped on the street more than ever now and added: “The Traitors brought me a whole new audience.”
Imrie also discussed in the interview how she no longer flies after suffering two pulmonary embolisms, a sudden and dangerous blockage in a blood vessel in the lungs.
It left her unable to work for a time and she also struggled with her mental health until a trip to France changed things for the better. She said: “I liken my life to a game of snakes and ladders. It’s wonderful to go up the ladders, but there are snakes around the place and they come upon you sometimes when you’re not looking.
“I was on a snake at the time… Churchill used to call it the black dog. The illness did lay me flat for a bit. Your body does have an aftershock. It’s quite hard to explain, but I know I was on the floor. And yes, the paradise of Nice did save my life actually.’
“I went out for a baguette and came back with an apartment. I do believe that with these sort of things, you are the one who can get yourself out of it. With the help of the beauty of Nice, I picked myself up. It gave me that twist to get myself up again.”
* The full interview is in Saga Magazine’s October Issue.
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