The Traitors' Alexander Dragonetti on working with royals and love life status - exclusive
The Traitors season three breakout star Alexander Dragonetti has confirmed his single status - after Claudia Winkleman revealed it to the nation during the show!
The former diplomat, 39, charmed audiences with his sunny, polite demeanour on the hit BBC show - and while he may have missed out on a share of the grand prize of £94,600, the rewards have still been rolling in.
When HELLO! meets him for our exclusive shoot and interview in London at Hoxton Southwark's exclusive apartment, he’s just as charming and affable as he came across on-screen.
"There are quite a few messages,” he says, apologetically. “I genuinely feel bad that I can't get back to people. There's quite a lot of volume that I would need to plough through. I'm very grateful!"
Claudia has said that her phone has been full of her divorced friends hoping to be set up on a date with the former diplomat. But is Alexander still available?
"Yes, I am single!" he laughs, suddenly becoming bashful. "I had no idea Claudia was going to do an aside to the camera," he adds. "She doesn't really do that, and I particularly had no idea that she was going to disclose my marital status on national TV. But Claudia is always right, so I assume that she knew what she was doing."
"I had no idea Claudia was going to do an aside to the camera!"
His relationship with Claudia is another gift the show has given him, he explains.
"Claudia's so warm and supportive of the show and the cast," he says. "And she really looks out for everybody. And I mean that very sincerely. She focuses on when people need a bit of extra help or some support - she's absolutely there. It's hugely impressive. It's not just a job for her.”
Life in the wake of The Traitors finale certainly looks very different to before. Growing up with his brother in London, his first job was as a teacher in a socially disadvantaged area for two years ("We used to have a full-time policeman in school") before eventually joining the Foreign Office, where he lived in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Ireland.
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There, Alexander worked in "conflict resolution and security", even collaborating with members of the royal family. Next stop, James Bond?
"I enjoyed it because I think it matters. I think this stuff is important. Everybody gets a drop, right? Only a drop, really, and if you can put it in the right ocean of making the world a slightly better place, then that is something that we can all get behind.
"I think that stems from my brother. I have this desire to leave the world in a bit of a better place than I found it."
Credit Photography: Damien Hockey
Location: The Hoxton Southwark
To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
