Why Traitors star is a faithful Coventry City fan

Spoiler warning: This story contains details of the winner(s) of The Traitors UK

Entering the castle, determined to become a traitor, self-confessed "bouncy Duracell bunny" James Baker played out the game as a fully fledged faithful.

Now the 38-year-old from Weymouth, Dorset, has revealed he is also faithful to a football club based miles away from his seaside home, in landlocked Coventry.

"What's not to love" about Coventry City, he said.

Explaining the surprising connection he added: "I don't know if you've been to Weymouth in the summer, it's full of Coventry City fans."

Members of his family moved to the coastal town from the West Midlands - with his mum "always pushing" the Coventry connection, James said.

But it could have been different and, like his banishment from the castle, his footballing allegiance was left to chance.

"I had a swarm of Liverpool fans in my household, pushing me and buying me replica shirts," he explained.

"But I just loved Peter Ndlovu."

The Sky Blues' Ndlovu was the first African to play in the Premier League and scored seven goals in the 1992-93 season.

"I just thought 'who is this guy?', buzzing around scoring worldies in that amazing kit," he added.

"I love the shirt so much, it meant so much to me".

A decision was finally made when, aged eight, he was taken to Anfield to watch Liverpool take on Coventry.

James said his uncle was determined that he make up his mind who he supported.

"I said 'I'll strike you a deal, Uncle Martin, whoever wins this game, Coventry against Liverpool at Anfield, I will stick with them'.

"The odds weren't good, no-one ever wins there, even though [Liverpool] weren't that good in the 90s.

"Ndlovu scored a hat-trick and we won 3-2 and that was it - from that day forward, aged eight, I've stuck with them through thick and thin."

James was banished from the castle after a cliffhanger involving two ties in a roundtable vote, between him and eventual co-winner Rachel.

Viewers saw the decision on who would be leaving left to the "chest of chance".

The show had been "as bonkers as it seemed", he told BBC CWR.

"There is such a things as a three-day hangover," he said, adding "the BBC were paying so I thought 'well stuff it, let's get tonked'.

"Tripping over Winkleman in reception and everything."

There were other "bizarre little links" with Coventry in the show, he explained, including fellow finalist Jade Scott studies at the University of Warwick in the city.

"All the cast were lovely and I spoke to Jade a lot because I knew she was at Warwick Uni and all that, and she was great," he said.

"Ross, the bodybuilder guy, he was an absolute legend, he had a best friend who was a Cov fan too, I think."

The reaction of the public after the show finished was something like "Beatlemania", James said.

"Weymouth, my home town, has been great and I've been feeling the love from Cov," he said.

"I'm not going to lie, loads of people have been in touch.

"It was a bit like Beatlemania when I go out to Morrisons or something...it's a bit like, 'here we go, I just want to go out and get some grapes'."

The football fan said he usually makes it to four or five away games as well as travelling to Coventry for some matches.

"I normally get three or four home games in if I can but I do a lot of the radio," he added.

The "dulcet tones" of BBC commentator Steve Ogrizovic "carry me through", James said.

"I watch any game on TV that I can. So I don't miss a beat, I'm always there in spirit."

He said he was hoping to visit the city to take part in Kick it for a Ticket, Coventry City's initiative that gives fans a chance to win tickets to a match which involves a challenge on the pitch at half-time.

"I used to play [football] to an alright-ish level - I used to wallop the ball from quite a way out," he said.

"So you know what's going to happen - straight on my backside, egg on my face, a bit like at the round table really."

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