Celebrity Traitors: Maya Jama donates to her chosen charity despite missing out on the prize

Maya Jama may have left The Celebrity Traitors without a penny for her cause, but the presenter has made sure her chosen charity did not miss out. A day after the BBC series reached its finale, she revealed that she had personally donated the sum she would have won to Action for Children.

Maya shared the news on X on Saturday, writing: "Just donated what I would have won for my chosen charity @ActnForChildren." She added that it was an "amazing cause", turning the disappointment of the final into something positive for the children the charity supports.

The finale on Friday night did not go her way. Maya was the last of the original Traitors still standing heading into the closing stages, playing alongside King Kenny, but she was banished at the final round table and never reached the fire pit.

Kenny's luck also ran out when the remaining Faithfuls turned on him, leaving Faithfuls Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian "Bash" Croft to share the £83,000 prize pot. You can read how the closing night unfolded in our report on the Celebrity Traitors winners revealed after James Blunt's final mistake.

That pot was divided equally between the two winners, who each walked away with £41,500 for their own causes. Bash is passing his share to Choose Love, which supports refugees and displaced people, while Romesh is backing the Refugee Council.

Action for Children works with vulnerable children and young people across the UK, supporting families facing poverty and hardship, protecting children from neglect and abuse, and helping to find foster homes for those who need them.

Katherine Woods, the charity's director of fundraising, said the team was delighted by the gesture. "We're absolutely thrilled to receive such a generous donation from Maya Jama," she said, before thanking the presenter directly. Woods also pointed out that around four million children in the UK are living in poverty, a reminder of how far a gift of this size can go.

As a Traitor, Maya spent weeks deceiving her fellow contestants at the round table, and while the game itself ultimately slipped away from her, she has ensured that the children her charity supports still benefit from her time in the castle.

With the winners' charities also set to benefit, the series has ended on a generous note, which feels in keeping with the spirit of a celebrity edition built around raising money for good causes. Maya's decision means her part in that story did not end at the round table.

The Celebrity Traitors is available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer, so anyone who missed the drama of the final can catch up on how the Faithfuls finally came out on top.

Images: BBC.