The Traitors’ winner Rachel Duffy heartbreakingly remembers navigating ‘the toughest second of her life’ after beloved mum Anne died simply days after her BBC triumph
The Traitors‘ winner Rachel Duffy has opened up about how she coped with the loss of her beloved mum Anne just days after winning half the show’s £47k prize pot
During her time on the series, the mother-of-three, 43, shared how the prize money would allow her to make memories with her mum, who was tragically diagnosed with Parkinson’s when she was just 47 and in her last few years with dementia.
Following Rachel and Stephen Libby’s win, they were catapulted into the public eye while she struggled through what she described as the ‘most difficult moment of her life’ following the mother’s death with everyone knowing her business.
She said: ‘The timing [of my mother’s death] was tough. I’d just won the show, then she passed away. I couldn’t even celebrate with her.
‘I felt like the whole world knew my business, and that was hard because at the same time I was trying to navigate one of the most difficult moments of my life. But the support was phenomenal’.
The Traitors’ winner Rachel Duffy has opened up about how she coped with the loss of her beloved mum Anne just weeks after winning the half the show’s £47k prize pot
On the series, the mother-of-three, 43, shared how the prize money would allow her to make memories with her mum, who was tragically diagnosed with Parkinson’s when she was just 47
Rachel went on to say how she remains strong by reminded herself how much her mum would love her daughter’s new life in the spotlight.
She explained to OK! how her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 47, just four years older than she is now, which has changed her outlook on life.
‘You can look after your body, which I do – I don’t smoke, do drugs, I don’t drink much, and I eat healthily and exercise. But you don’t know what’s coming round the corner. If you have a positive mindset, try to be healthy and enjoy life, that’s all you can do’.
On The Traitors, Rachel revealed she planned to spend her prize money making memories with her mother and hoped to take her on holiday.
Just days after the final she announced the tragic loss, and said in an Instagram statement: ‘Thank you Mummy, thank you for loving us so much. Thank you for teaching us our worth’. You can read the full story here.
Meanwhile the new series of Celebrity Traitors reportedly has seen bosses forced to double their £1 million budget in a bid to cater to the A-List contestants’ demands.
The A-list line-up was officially announced when the broadcaster dropped the first teaser trailer last week, with the likes of Maya Jama, Richard E Grant, Jerry Hall, Romesh Ranganathan and Ross Kemp also heading to the Scottish castle.
The increased budget was already obvious as pictures emerged of the stars touching down in the highlands after travelling via planes and private jets, while last year many contestants were said to have travelled on the train.
Meanwhile the likes of Alan Carr and Sir Stephen Fry were also said to have been ferried around during last year’s series in a minibus, which has now been swapped for chauffeur driven cars.
Following Rachel and Stephen Libby’s win, they were catapulted into the public eye while she struggled through what she described as the ‘most difficult moment of her life’
Money has also been spent on beefing up security to keep the stars safe and the castle’s goings on under wraps ahead of transmission later this year.
A source said: ‘Although most of the stars are British, so many of them are used to working in America that their teams are used to the treatment.’
They told The Sun: ‘The production team have little choice, however, than to cater for their demands because they accept the number of A-listers taking part in this year’s show makes it exceptional.’
The Daily Mail have contacted BBC for comment.
Maya Jama was pictured arriving at Inverness airport on Sunday afternoon, reportedly taking a huge pay cut to appear on series two of the BBC show.
Hours earlier Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh and EastEnders star Ross Kemp also touched down, before jumping into their cars to head to Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands.
Singer James Blunt then followed on a few hours after.
Maya was reportedly the first star to be approached by Celebrity Traitors bosses in a bid to pull in a younger audience thanks to her Love Island hosting duties.
The 31-year-old was more than willing to take a huge £760,000 pay cut compared to her fee hosting the ITV dating show.
She is said to have taken the £40,000 rate after falling in love with the series while watching it with her boyfriend Rúben Dias.
A source told The Sun: ‘She loved watching the first Celebrity Traitors series at home with boyfriend Rúben and is so excited to get filming. She can’t wait to do some fibbing and be as deceitful as possible to try to win it.
‘It has worked out perfectly that she can go straight from the Scottish castle to the villa in Majorca to film the summer Love Island series in June.’
