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β€˜Gay men keep my ego going – they message me all the time!’ Ed Gamble on Traitors, true love, weight loss and people-pleasing

As a Traitors obsessive, Gamble is in his element hosting its hugely popular companion show, Uncloaked. He discusses keeping the show’s secrets, edgelord comics and how he became known as a β€˜mega wife guy’

Ed Gamble does not like seeing himself on screen. β€œI know a lot of comics who struggle with watching themselves,” he says. β€œNo one should be having to look at their own face so much. It feels simultaneously arrogant and also the most self-flagellating thing you can do.”

Unfortunately for him, he is inescapable. Gamble presents the BBC’s wildly successful companion show to the Traitors, The Traitors: Uncloaked, along with the hugely popular podcast Off Menu, with the comedian and current Celebrity Traitors contestant James Acaster.

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Β© Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian

Β© Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian

Β© Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian

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A moment that changed me: I was heading for disaster on the Greek version of Strictly. Then instinct kicked in

I was gripped by fear, aching all over – and still recovering from cancer treatment. But Dancing With the Stars was a joyous celebration of survival

It was an invitation I accepted in a moment of madness – and, over the next three months, regretted many times a day. I was in over my head, often with my heels literally over my head: I’d signed up to appear on the Greek version of Strictly Come Dancing.

Dancing With the Stars, as it is called in Greece, follows the same format as its UK counterpart, with an identical studio, a matching shiny floor, even many of the same costumes that are hired out and circulated among the 70 or more international versions of the BBC show. Of course, it’s all in Greek – and in the season I took part in, Covid restrictions had been imposed, which intensified its strangeness.

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Β© Composite: Publicity image

Β© Composite: Publicity image

Β© Composite: Publicity image

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House of Stassi: never before has reality TV been this self-aware – and truly brutal

After being cancelled, former Vanderpump Rules star Stassi Schroeder is fighting for redemption with her own show – never mind what her family and friends think

Across the 2010s, Stassi Schroeder was the star of Vanderpump Rules, the hit reality TV show that tracked the near-psychopathic interpersonal relationships between the staff at Lisa Vanderpump’s peak-millennial restaurant SUR. From the moment she appeared on screen – all statement necklaces and crispy flatironed hair – it was clear that Schroeder was an early master of the reality genre. While the cast were all villainous in their own ways, she stood apart for her singular mix of charisma and chaos.

For eight years, Schroeder slapped her friends, belittled her bosses, bullied other women, insulted customers and was generally terrible at her job. But despite the frequent physical and psychological violence, she remained a firm audience favourite. In the years since, she has spoken about the impact this kind of adoration can have on a person: the worse she behaved, the more she was rewarded with attention from producers and the adoring – and admonishing – public. For a time, she was the people’s princess of darkness. That was until 2020, when she discovered there are limits to what even blond, leggy reality TV prodigies can do.

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Β© Photograph: Disney

Β© Photograph: Disney

Β© Photograph: Disney

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The moment I knew: As a reality TV contestant, I was allowed one 15-minute call a week. Even at 3am, Chris would always pick up

Conor Curran’s first date with Chris lasted nine hours but their relationship remained casual. Then, when Conor was at his most vulnerable, Chris was there for him

At 29 I had lost my career in hospitality because of Covid and decided to throw my hat in the ring as a contestant on MasterChef Australia. By the time I was eliminated in 2021, restaurants still weren’t open and I didn’t know what to do with my life. My lease was coming to an end in Melbourne and I wasn’t doing well with the lockdowns and people recognising me from TV. So I decided to retreat to my father’s place in Adelaide for a while.

By early 2022 I was dating a guy but, after a few months, he ghosted me suddenly.

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Β© Composite: Guardian design/Getty Images

Β© Composite: Guardian design/Getty Images

Β© Composite: Guardian design/Getty Images

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