If one contestant has truly embodied the spirit and strategy of this season's The Traitors, it is undoubtedly Rachel Duffy. The 43-year-old communications director made history on Friday by becoming the first female winner of a UK series as a Traitor, securing victory alongside her partner in crime, Stephen Libby, and splitting the substantial £95,750 prize fund.
A Decade in the Making: From Traitor to Author
Now, basking in the glow of her triumph on the BBC's fourth series, Rachel has disclosed to The Mail on Sunday a significant personal project. For the past ten years, she has been diligently crafting her debut novel and now intends to bring it to publication. "I've written a book, it’s taken 10 years to write and it's about murder and lies so it's quite appropriate. Maybe now is the time to get that published," she revealed.
She described the work as "a contemporary fantasy novel for young adults all about Irish redheads in a magical forest and a bit of murder thrown in." Industry experts speaking to the Daily Mail predict that the likeable mother of three from Newry, Northern Ireland, is poised for a significant financial boost, potentially becoming a millionaire and the wealthiest Traitor champion to date.
Masterful Gameplay and Strategic Deception
Rachel has been widely praised as one of the programme's most adept players, celebrated for her remarkable skill in cultivating friendships among the Faithful contestants. She was transparent about her desire to win the competition, a goal she pursued with determination.
Her strategy was notably aided by a clever embellishment regarding her background. She informed fellow contestants that she had undergone four months of online FBI training. In reality, Rachel later clarified, "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 with humour, "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!"
A Poignant Personal Motivation
Central to Rachel's journey was her beloved mother, Anne. Rachel credits her mother as the primary reason she applied for The Traitors. During last Friday's finale, she shared that she entered the competition for the sake of Anne, who is 70 years old, lives with dementia, and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in her forties. A devoted fan of the show, Anne offered her daughter clear counsel: 'not to get caught'.
Rachel expressed that if she were to win the money, she would dedicate it to her mother and creating cherished memories together. Overcome with emotion upon learning she had won £47,875, she stated, "I haven't spent any of the money yet. 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."
Providing an update on her mother's condition, Rachel noted, "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!"
A Tense Finale and Loyal Partnership
Rachel and Stephen made history as the first pair of Traitors to win together, despite Rachel's intense suspicion that Stephen might betray her to claim the entire prize. Recalling the climactic moment, she shared, "He wouldn't look at me, and I thought, you've done me dirty. The thoughts in my head at that moment were hold your head high. If your name is on that plate just to keep your head up and walk out. You've done yourself proud."
"Then he turned it around and I just melted. I just thought, you little darling. It went from I'm gonna kill you, to I love you in the space of two seconds, but it was so tense." The duo maintained their loyalty from the outset, with Stephen making a selfless decision at the final stage, honouring a pact they made at the family tree not to turn against each other, ultimately leading to their shared victory.
Reflecting on her hard-fought success, Rachel added, "It was hard fought. I didn't skip through that game at all. I worked hard and it's nice to see the hard work paying off."
Record-Breaking Audience Figures
The series finale captivated a massive audience, averaging 9.4 million viewers with a peak of 9.6 million and securing an impressive 54.9% audience share. These figures represent the largest overnight audience across the market since the final episode of The Celebrity Traitors in November 2025, establishing it as the most-watched overnight audience for the civilian version of the series in its history.
