The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman looks unrecognizable without signature frills – as the big hit show returns

The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman looked unrecognizable without her signature bangs in a throwback snap.

The presenter, 51, is known for her iconic bangs, eyeliner and tan, and previously revealed she gets her make-up look from her mother Eve Pollard.

She also told the Cheltenham Literature Festival: ‘If you have bangs and you’re spray-painted, you’re winning… it totally desexualises you. I don’t want to be sexually attractive, I don’t want to be cute or sexy. I want to be Yves in Lyon. It helps with aging.’

But in a resurfaced photo from a 2001 shoot, Claudia looked completely different without her straight bangs and less makeup.

Claudia will once again host the nail-biting psychological reality competition in which 22 strangers play the ultimate game of detection, backstabbing and trust in the hope of winning up to £120,000.

Claudia will once again host the nail-biting psychological reality competition in which 22 strangers play the ultimate game of detection, backstabbing and trust in the hope of winning up to £120,000.

In the show, most of the contestants are ‘Faithfuls’ and must figure out who among them are ‘Traitors’ – who have the ability to ‘kill’ a fellow contestant every night.

The group has daily ‘bans’ in which they must vote to kick out someone they believe is a traitor, while working together on challenges to raise money for the prize fund.

In the first episode, Claudia selects which participants will secretly become the new Traitors.

In addition, the participants compete in various ‘missions’, the aim of which so far has been to increase the prize pool.

But while addressing the castmates for the 2024 season as they stood in line next to a lake, Claudia revealed that this year’s missions have arrived with a new twist.

As well as offering the opportunity to raise £15,000 towards the prize pool, Claudia added a surprising new layer to the challenges.

The first mission has the 22 new castmates lining up next to a lake

She said, “I have some news too. This year you are not only playing for money during these missions, but also for your life.

“This, players, is a shield. Three of you can win one of these during a mission. There are two in the lake and one on land.

‘This protects you from being murdered by the traitors, but it does not protect you from exile.

‘To be clear: if you choose a shield, you are protected from murder. But at what price?

“What you really have to consider is what is more important: your money or your life?”

During the chat, she also gave her thoughts on why the show was such a success when it debuted.

The 22 participants in The Traitors have been revealed – including a man brought back to life after being pronounced dead at the side of the road, and a parliamentary affairs adviser

Claudia has admitted she had to be convinced by BBC bosses to return for a second season

She explains: ‘There were 20,000 registrations for the first series, and around 130,000 for the second series.

“What I like about our cast is that they’re not interested in being famous, they want to play the game and win the money.”

This series, Claudia is joined by comedian Ed Gamble who presents a special spin-off podcast for the hit show.

The first season of The Traitors, set in a Scottish castle, started in late November 2022.

The Traitors starts tonight on BBC One. You can watch the first three episodes afterwards on BBC iPlayer.