The Traitors winner Rachel Duffy has opened up on going through ‘rough weeks’ after the tragic death of her mother Anne following a long battle with dementia.
The show winner announced that Anne, who she planned to spend her £47,875 prize money on, had died in a heartbreaking social media post in January.
Rachel, who won the latest series of the BBC show with fellow Traitor Stephen Duffy, shared the sad news on Instagram.
‘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,’ she wrote.
The mother-of-three from Newry in Northern Ireland spoke often about her mother Anne, 70, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in her forties and later dementia, during her time on the show.
Rachel revealed she planned to spend her prize money making memories with her mother and hoped to take her on holiday.
Rachel had planned to spend The Traitors prize money making memories with her mother, Anne, 70, who had dementia
In her first TV appearance since the announcement of her mother’s death, Rachel, 43, admitted she had been ‘getting through’ grief with the help of her family.
She told show hosts Gethin Jones and Louise Minchin how she had to previously pull out of joining them on the BBC daytime programme after her mother took a turn for the worst, and later passed away.
Rachel explained: ‘I was about to come on the show and chat about my lovely adventure in the castle and I got a phone call to go home and see mum, and unfortunately she passed away.
Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.
‘It’s been a rough couple of weeks, it’s been a big high, and then a dip down low, but thankfully I have the best family in the world so I’m getting through it.’
Sharing the reasons why she felt it was important to discuss Anne’s illness during her time on The Traitors, Rachel continued: ‘I think it’s so important to have the conversations, even during my time in the castle…
‘It came to the dinner party where it was like, my mum has dementia, my dad has Parkinson’s, and people were really touched with their stories.’
Speaking about her mum’s support during her time on the BBC gameshow, Rachel continued: ‘She loved [The Traitors]. She loved it so much.
‘Sometimes we’d go visit her in the nursing home and she’d be re-watching the episodes. She was really, really proud.
The Traitors star Rachel Duffy has announced her mother, who she planned to spent her prize money on, had died in January
‘She’d ring me and be like, “Who did you murder?” and I was like, “Mum, I can’t tell you!”. She loved it, I spoke to her after I won and she was really proud.
‘It’s a privilege to talk about her.’
Rachel continued to BBC News: ‘I’m going to make memories. I can’t get to make them with mummy, but I’m going to make them with my family.
‘I think being able to do nice things with them is an absolute blessing. So I think we’re going to have a fun 2026.’
In January, Rachel shared the news with her fans that her mother Anne had passed away following her battle with dementia after more than two decades.
She said: ‘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.’
In a poignant photograph shared during the show, Anne was seen proudly holding up a T-shirt which read ‘My daughter’s a traitor’ on the front.
On Friday, the 43-year-old became the first female to win a UK series as a Traitor, sharing victory and the £95,750 prize pot with her partner-in-crime Stephen.
She revealed during the finale that she entered for the sake of Anne who was a huge fan of the programme and who, Rachel said, had clear advice for her daughter: ‘Not to get caught.’
Speaking to The Mail On Sunday a day after the finale aired, Rachel explained that she hadn’t spent her prize money yet and needed to make plans with her mother and her husband.
Speaking on the show, Rachel said: ‘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’
‘I think I’m going to sit down with the kids, my husband and my mum and just think what could we do to have fun together,’ she said.
Giving an update on her mother, Rachel said: ‘It’s a hard one because the show was recorded in May so at that time her condition wasn’t as severe as it is now, so she’s not fit to travel as much.
‘We’re trying to do something closer to home so I can’t wait to just sit in front of her and say, ‘Mummy, what do you want to do, what can we do that you would just love?’ God only knows what she’s going to say, but I can’t wait.’
Rachel was in London with her co-stars for the final episode and to film her Uncloaked interview.
She added that she couldn’t wait to give her mum a call and speak to her properly following her interviews on Saturday morning.
‘I’m just waiting to call her now to have a proper chat with her, but she’s so proud, and that means a lot to hear that your mum is proud of you,’ she shared.
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.
Rachel became the first female to win a UK series as a Traitor, sharing victory and the £95,750 prize pot with her partner-in-crime Stephen Libby
‘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.’
Dr Hilda Hayo, Chief Admiral Nurse and CEO of Dementia UK offered her condolences whilst thanking Rachel for raising awareness, telling Daily Mail: ‘We’re sorry to hear that Anne has died having lived with Parkinson’s and dementia.’
‘Everyone at Dementia UK sends our condolences to Anne’s family and hope they are receiving the support they need at this difficult time.’
‘Through her appearance on The Traitors, Anne’s daughter Rachel spoke candidly about her experience of dementia, helping to raise awareness for condition and the way it affects families across the UK.’
‘We thank Rachel for her honesty – we know it is not easy to speak publicly about the impact dementia can have, but in doing so she will have encouraged others to reach out for the support they need.’
‘We urge families affected by dementia to reach out to our specialist Helpline. Staffed by dementia specialist Admiral Nurses, our Helpline offers support and guidance on all stages of dementia, including grieving for a loved one. Anyone affected by dementia can contact the Helpline by calling 0800 888 6678 or emailing helpline@dementiauk.org.’
Rachel also lost her beloved father, Raymond Mullen, in 2016 when he was 67. Her Facebook profile picture is a photograph of him walking her up the aisle on her wedding day.
The pair were exceptionally close and she was devastated when he died.
Her older brother is Darren Mullen, who was the manager of football club Newry City, and she also has two other brothers, Neil and Shane, and a sister called Joanne.
The communications director has been branded one of the show’s best-ever players, hailed for her ability to gain so many friends among the Faithfuls.
And Rachel made no secret of the fact she wanted to win the show.
Giving an update on her mother, Rachel said: ‘It’s a hard one because the show was recorded in May so at that time her condition wasn’t as severe as it is now’
That aim was assisted by the four months of FBI online training she had endured, or so she told her fellow contestants in the castle.
Rachel explained: ‘I was trained by a former FBI agent so I did one of his training courses, but I did lie.
‘I had said it was a four month online course to the guys in the castle, but it was more like a one day course and an e-book, but I still did it, I was just very loose with the phrase and it did help because it gave me something in my back pocket that I could bring up.’
She added: ‘It gave everybody a giggle. I mean, like the memes online have been hilarious. But no, I’m not leaving my job to go and join the FBI anytime soon!’
Rachel and Stephen became the first duo of Traitors to triumph, despite Rachel being convinced Stephen would betray her to secure the entire prize pot.
The series finale averaged 9.4million with a peak of 9.6million and an audience share of 54.9 per cent.
This is the biggest overnight audience across the market since the final episode of The Celebrity Traitors in November 2025 and makes it the most watched overnight audience of the civilian version of the series ever.
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