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Miranda Hart says Celebrity Traitors return was 'very emotional' after decade of illness

Speaking on ITV's This Morning, Miranda Hart said her body was "a bit shocked" by taking part in The Celebrity Traitors, her first TV work since recovering from a decade of illness. Outlets differ on whether to describe the illness as Lyme disease or ME caused by Lyme.

4 outlets · 1L · 1C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: Evening Standard
Image: The Independent
Image: Daily Mail
Image: Daily Express

1 / 4

The story, neutrally told

Mixed · 2Miranda Hart, 53, said on ITV's This Morning that she felt "very emotional" taking part in the BBC's The Celebrity Traitors after about ten years of poor health. Mixed · 2She said her body was "a bit shocked" by the experience, having previously been unable to leave the house or get out of bed for months. Centre · 1Hart called it her first television work since feeling better, and described the show as "a cross between boarding school, Outward Bound and a murder mystery weekend".

Mixed · 2She said she was particularly emotional when comedian Joe Lycett left the castle, because they had played and connected, which she linked to themes in her memoir about what helps people thrive while suffering. Mixed · 2The Evening Standard and The Independent describe her illness as Lyme disease, a tick-borne bacterial infection that can cause fatigue; the Daily Mail says she had ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) caused by Lyme disease. Left · 1She documented her illness in her 2024 memoir, I Haven't Been Entirely Honest With You.

Right · 1The Daily Mail adds that before filming she told the BBC she still lived with fatigue and pain, that medics took 33 years to identify Lyme disease after first labelling her agoraphobic, and that Joe's exit prompted a viral social media voiceover trend; it also reports her husband Richard Fairs joined her in Scotland. Mixed · 2Asked about fans' calls to revive her sitcom Miranda, which ran from 2009 to 2015, she said the idea of a return had never come from her and she did not know whether more would be made.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left1 outlet

Framing
Short, sympathetic human-interest report on Hart's return after illness, centred on her quotes.
Emphasis
Lyme disease, the 'a bit shocked' quote and Joe Lycett's departure.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not mention ME, her pre-show BBC interview or the social media trend.
Charged language
“banished from the castle”
For example
“Miranda Hart has spoken out about returning to television for The Celebrity Traitors after a decade in which illness often kept her confined to her home.” — The Independent

Centre1 outlet

Framing
Concise report built on her This Morning remarks, near-identical in content to the Independent.
Emphasis
Her emotion, the Lyme disease background and possible sitcom revival.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not mention ME or the Mail's extra background.
Charged language
“banished from the castle”
For example
“Actress and comedian Miranda Hart has said she felt “very emotional” on The Celebrity Traitors after being unwell for many years.” — Evening Standard

Right2 outlets

Framing
Longer celebrity-news piece that leads on ME and adds earlier interviews and personal detail.
Emphasis
ME diagnosis, 33-year diagnostic delay, viral trend, her husband's private jet arrival.
Leaves out or plays down
Less on the sitcom revival question than the others.
Charged language
“opened up”“rarely seen husband”
For example
“Celebrity Traitors star Miranda Hart has opened up about her 'emotional' television return on the show after her 10 year struggle with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).” — Daily Mail

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