Harriet Tyce, the crime novelist and former barrister who became a fan favourite on the latest series of BBC One's The Traitors, has received an outpouring of support after sharing a poignant tribute to her late best friend.
A Heartfelt Tribute to a 'Late, Great' Friend
The 53-year-old, who was a Faithful in the hit reality competition, took to Instagram to post a throwback photo from 2016 with her friend, journalist Sarah Hughes. Sarah, who worked for several national newspapers, passed away from breast cancer in 2021 at the age of 48.
Harriet captioned the image with a moving message, describing Sarah as "one of my oldest and dearest friends." She reflected on her own unexpected journey onto television, wondering what Sarah would have made of it all. "I have a hunch she'd have live-blogged the whole thing, cheered me on, and taken the p**s out of me relentlessly," Harriet wrote, adding emotionally, "I wish she were here to see it. So much missed."
Fans of the show quickly flooded the comments with messages of comfort and solidarity. One supporter wrote, "Awh she's gorgeous Harriet! I'm sure she'd be really proud of you right now!" while another agreed, "I think she would have loved it. Such a loss." A third comment echoed the sentiment, stating, "Have been thinking about her a lot and how she’d have f*****g LOVED every second of this."
Reflecting on a Dramatic Traitors Exit
Harriet's tribute comes after her dramatic exit from The Traitors, which was filmed in a remote Scottish castle in the summer. Despite correctly identifying fellow contestant Rachel Duffy as a Traitor, she failed to convince the group and was ultimately banished following a tense roundtable.
In subsequent interviews, Harriet admitted she found it difficult to watch her final episodes, particularly a heated outburst over breakfast directed at faithful player Roxy. "It was awful watching it, I lost my temper and it's not nice to see that," she confessed. "That was insane behaviour, I'd never normally shout at someone I only met two weeks ago over breakfast."
She attributed her reaction to the intense pressure of the game and her own instinctive nature. "I wish I had been the calm strategic genius everyone thought I was but I only ever played on gut and instinct," she said.
From Barrister to Bestselling Author
Harriet's background is as compelling as her Traitors journey. The daughter of Lord William Nimmo Smith, a renowned Scottish judge, she followed in his footsteps after studying at Oxford University, becoming a barrister for nearly a decade.
However, she left the legal profession at age 32, citing struggles with alcohol abuse and a desire to focus on raising her children, Freddie and Eloise. She has been open about how her difficulty in keeping her cool contributed to her career change. "I was terrible at keeping my cool, I found it a deeply emotional environment," she explained, noting that getting sober helped her manage her emotions.
Inspired by her love for Agatha Christie, she later channeled her experiences into a successful career as a crime novelist. Her time on The Traitors has now introduced her to a whole new audience, who have rallied around her following her heartfelt post about her friend Sarah.
The Traitors continues on BBC One and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
