Body Language Expert Names Judy as a Potential Secret Traitor on The Traitors

The fourth series of The Traitors has barely begun, but one question is already dominating conversations among viewers: who is the mysterious Secret Traitor?

For the first time in the BBC series, even the audience has been kept in the dark about one of the people secretly working against the Faithful. Claudia Winkleman selected Hugo, Rachel and Stephen as the three regular Traitors, while a fourth contestant was secretly given the more powerful role of Secret Traitor.

The identity of that fourth player is hidden from both the other Traitors and viewers at home. The Secret Traitor knows who the three regular Traitors are and can influence their nightly murders by providing a shortlist of potential targets.

That leaves viewers watching every expression, gesture and reaction for clues.

And body language expert Darren Stanton believes Judy is one contestant worth watching closely.

Body language expert spots a change in Judy

Speaking on behalf of OLBG, Darren Stanton told LADbible that Judy immediately caught his attention because he noticed several changes in her usual behaviour.

While speaking with other contestants, Stanton observed what he described as a noticeable shift from her baseline behaviour.

He pointed to faster breathing and an increase in her movement rate, suggesting these could be signs of heightened stress or cognitive load.

He also noticed Judy repeatedly shrugging both shoulders.

Shoulder shrugs can often communicate uncertainty or indifference, but Stanton interpreted Judy’s movements differently in this situation. He said they appeared more defensive, potentially indicating that she was experiencing pressure rather than simply expressing uncertainty.

There were other gestures that caught his attention too.

Stanton noted several instances of Judy bringing her hands towards her mouth, which he described as gestures commonly associated with self-soothing.

Taken together, he said these changes initially made Judy his leading suspect for the Secret Traitor.

That remains a theory rather than evidence of Judy’s role. At this stage of the series, the Secret Traitor’s identity is deliberately concealed, meaning viewers are left to interpret the behaviour and clues presented by the programme.

Judy doing a Linda?#thetraitors #traitors pic.twitter.com/JI52aAKig5

— Dan Martin (@Dan_Martin) January 1, 2026

Viewers also spotted a suspicious moment

Judy’s behaviour has already attracted attention from The Traitors audience, with some fans comparing one particular moment to an infamous incident from the previous series.

During the opening episode, Judy turned around when Claudia mentioned the word “Traitors”.

One viewer on social media suggested that Judy was “doing a Linda”, referring to Linda’s memorable head turn in season three that became one of the most discussed moments among fans.

Not everyone was convinced.

One fan argued that the apparent clue could simply have been the result of the episode’s editing. They also pointed out that Judy received so much attention during the episode that it would seem unusual for the programme to make her the Secret Traitor while repeatedly drawing viewers’ attention to her.

The same viewer suggested that the bigger mystery could instead involve Judy’s relationship with fellow contestant Roxy.

Judy and Roxy have a secret of their own

There is another reason Judy has attracted so much scrutiny.

Judy and Roxy entered the castle with a major secret: they are mother and daughter. The pair had to keep their relationship hidden from the other contestants because revealing the connection could make them appear to be working together.

Viewers, however, were given the information early on.

And the secret nearly became obvious during one of the challenges.

At one point, Roxy shouted: “Stop, Mum, stop.”

The slip immediately caught the attention of viewers, who realised that the two contestants were related even though the other players did not appear to pick up on it.

That family connection gives viewers another possible explanation for some of the attention surrounding Judy. A contestant trying to conceal a relationship with another player could naturally behave differently under pressure, although that does not establish that Judy is the Secret Traitor.

At the time of the second episode, the identity of the Secret Traitor remained one of the central mysteries of the series.

A huge opening for The Traitors

The Secret Traitor twist has fundamentally changed the way the game works in series four.

Traditionally, Claudia selects the Traitors and the audience is immediately told who they are. This time, three regular Traitors were selected, but another contestant was secretly given control over the murder shortlist. The regular Traitors then have to choose their target from the names supplied to them.

The format change has also arrived with a huge audience.

The series four opener attracted an average of 6.4 million viewers, according to overnight figures, making it the show’s biggest debut episode. The programme reached a peak of around 6.9 million viewers.

With the audience now searching for clues alongside the Faithfuls, every reaction has the potential to become part of the mystery.

For now, Judy’s altered breathing, increased movement, shoulder shrugs and hand-to-mouth gestures have given Darren Stanton reason to keep an eye on her. Whether those behaviours point to a hidden role or simply the pressure of playing The Traitors remains to be seen.

The Traitors continues on BBC One at 8pm on Friday, January 2, 2026, with the episode also available on BBC iPlayer.