In a dramatic round-table banishment, Fiona Hughes saw her journey on BBC's The Traitors come to a crashing halt last night. The 62-year-old local government officer from Swansea, who began the game as the secret 'Red Cloak' villain, was sent packing after a failed attempt to turn the tables on fellow Traitor, Rachel Duffy.
A Grenade That Backfired
Fiona's downfall was sealed following a tense confrontation where she publicly accused Rachel of being a liar. This came after Rachel truthfully revealed that another player, Amanda Collier, was a former senior Met detective. Fiona's strategy, which she later admitted was not very cunning, was to get her suspicions about Rachel 'out in the open' to avoid being betrayed herself.
"I felt at the time it was my only chance," Fiona explained after her exit. "Rachel was such a formidable player and I didn't think I'd have another opportunity to put her name to the group as a potential Traitor." The move, however, failed to gain any traction with the other Faithful players, and Fiona did not receive a single vote in her defence at the round-table.
Playing for 'Women of a Certain Age'
In her exit speech, Fiona claimed she entered the game with a mission to represent older women. "I came in here to prove that women of a certain age should be listened to," she insisted, despite having played what many viewers considered one of the most erratic games in the show's history.
Reflecting on her experience, she expressed no regrets. "No, I had an absolute ball. Yes, it would have been lovely to have won, but it wasn't going to happen. I wasn't fetching money to the table," she stated candidly. She described the immense power of being the initial Secret Traitor, recalling the moment she received the red cloak: "I'm a woman of a certain age now. I don't wear TENA pads, but that night, I thought I need a TENA! I was just so excited."
Allegiances and the End Game
Fiona believed her unique starting position ultimately put her at a disadvantage. While the other Traitors in green cloaks could build alliances from the beginning, she was operating alone. "They were having an opportunity to build allegiances, whereas I was very much on my own," she said, though she added she was not afraid of that isolation.
She also shed light on her suspicions about Rachel's loyalty, noting that when another player's name was mentioned, Rachel did not challenge the group's decision. "Straight away I thought, she's a lone wolf here, and if she's going to get rid of somebody from the turret, it will be me," Fiona revealed. Despite both remaining Traitors—Rachel and Stephen Libby—voting to banish her, Fiona now hopes they go on to win the prize fund.
The episode concluded with a cliffhanger as faithful player Matt Hyndman, believing he was a target for murder, boldly offered to join the Traitors if they wanted to 'seduce' him. His question, "Do we have a deal?" will be answered in Wednesday's episode, leaving the fate of the game hanging in the balance.
