The Traitors winner Rachel Duffy has announced her mother has died, days after she won the BBC show.
Rachel, who reigned supreme alongside fellow Traitor Stephen Libby, revealed during her time on the show that she planned to spend her winnings on making memories with her mother, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in her forties and then dementia.
She shared the news of her mother’s death on Tuesday, writing: “We are heartbroken to share the passing of our beautiful wee mummy. We kindly ask for privacy as our family grieves during this difficult time.”
In emotional scenes that aired on The Traitors, mum-of-three Rachel, a head of communications from Newry in Northern Ireland, told her fellow contestants: “Mummy was just 47 when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, four years older than I am now, and faces dementia, but still amazes me and my family every single day.
“I just want to create memories with her while I’m still lucky enough to have her, and to create memories with my kids, because they just love their nanny.”
Rachel became the first female Traitor to win the BBC competition during the show’s dramatic conclusion last Friday.
She made it to the end with Stephen, with the pair opting to split the cash prize of £95,750, winning £47,875 each. Host Claudia Winkleman tearfully hailed their victory, stating: "Two traitors, but totally faithful to each other.”
Early on, the treacherous two decided to form a pact that they would never vote for each other and stuck to their word to the end, remaining loyal to their alliance and winning the game as a team.
However, Rachel was unsure which way Stephen would go, telling PA: “He wouldn’t look me in the eye. I just thought, ‘Oh no, I’m in trouble.’”
Stephen had the opportunity to get rid of his teammate and pocket the entire prize pot, but chose to vote for faithful Jack instead – causing him to be banished from the final.
Rachel added: “When he turned [the slate] around and it was Jack’s name on it, it was a feeling like nothing else.”
Speaking about the “lovely” reaction to her comments about her mum’s illness on the show, Rachel said: “There was a lot of messages on social media about people and their own experiences, saying thank you so much for raising awareness.
“It was the loveliest feeling to know that your story resonated with so many and that so many other people, or carers for their family members.
“I think if there’s anything positive that can come out of this is raising awareness of two very important illnesses that are very tough on the actual person and their family.”
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