diff --git a/tests/testsuite.py b/tests/testsuite.py
index 55a0c55..1c2a530 100755
--- a/tests/testsuite.py
+++ b/tests/testsuite.py
@@ -92,6 +92,13 @@ def __call__(self, result):
         def test_pass(self):
             pass
 
+    class DummyRefCountTest(unittest.TestCase):
+        class dummy(object):
+            pass
+        def test_fail(self):
+            inst = self.dummy()
+            self.assertTrue(False)
+
     def setUp(self):
         self.stream = StringIO()
         self.outdir = mkdtemp()
@@ -407,3 +414,11 @@ def test_xmlrunner_error_in_call(self):
         self._test_xmlrunner(suite)
         testsuite_output = self.stream.getvalue()
         self.assertIn('Exception: Massive fail', testsuite_output)
+
+    def test_xmlrunner_hold_traceback(self):
+        suite = unittest.TestSuite()
+        suite.addTest(self.DummyRefCountTest('test_fail'))
+        countBeforeTest = sys.getrefcount(self.DummyRefCountTest.dummy)
+        runner = self._test_xmlrunner(suite)
+        countAfterTest = sys.getrefcount(self.DummyRefCountTest.dummy)
+        self.assertEqual(countBeforeTest, countAfterTest)
diff --git a/xmlrunner/result.py b/xmlrunner/result.py
index 9b60988..9875f34 100644
--- a/xmlrunner/result.py
+++ b/xmlrunner/result.py
@@ -94,7 +94,13 @@ def __init__(self, test_result, test_method, outcome=SUCCESS, err=None, subTest=
         self.test_result = test_result
         self.outcome = outcome
         self.elapsed_time = 0
-        self.err = err
+        if err:
+            if self.outcome != _TestInfo.SKIP:
+                self.test_exception_name = safe_unicode(err[0].__name__)
+                self.test_exception_message = safe_unicode(err[1])
+            else:
+                self.test_exception_message = safe_unicode(err)
+
         self.stdout = test_result._stdout_data
         self.stderr = test_result._stderr_data
 
@@ -102,7 +108,7 @@ def __init__(self, test_result, test_method, outcome=SUCCESS, err=None, subTest=
         self.test_exception_info = (
             '' if outcome in (self.SUCCESS, self.SKIP)
             else self.test_result._exc_info_to_string(
-                    self.err, test_method)
+                    err, test_method)
         )
 
         self.test_name = testcase_name(test_method)
@@ -411,18 +417,18 @@ def _report_testcase(test_result, xml_testsuite, xml_document):
             if test_result.outcome != _TestInfo.SKIP:
                 failure.setAttribute(
                     'type',
-                    safe_unicode(test_result.err[0].__name__)
+                    test_result.test_exception_name
                 )
                 failure.setAttribute(
                     'message',
-                    safe_unicode(test_result.err[1])
+                    test_result.test_exception_message
                 )
                 error_info = safe_unicode(test_result.get_error_info())
                 _XMLTestResult._createCDATAsections(
                     xml_document, failure, error_info)
             else:
                 failure.setAttribute('type', 'skip')
-                failure.setAttribute('message', safe_unicode(test_result.err))
+                failure.setAttribute('message', test_result.test_exception_message)
 
     _report_testcase = staticmethod(_report_testcase)