Heartbreak for Traitors winner Rachel Duffy as she announces her mother has died just days after revealing she planned to spend prize money on her

The Traitors winner Rachel Duffy has announced her mother, who she planned to spend her £47,875 prize money on, has died.

Rachel, who won the latest series of the BBC show with fellow Traitor Stephen Duffy on Friday, shared the sad news on Instagram on Tuesday morning. 

'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.

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. 

'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. 

'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 Duffy 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 [email protected].'

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.

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.