The Traitors' Winner Rachel Duffy 'Heartbroken' as Her Dearest Person Passes Away Just Days After Her Win

She had barely finished celebrating the biggest triumph of her television career when tragedy struck — leaving the star facing unimaginable heartbreak during what should have been the happiest moment of her life.

Rachel Duffy is in mourning after announcing the death of her beloved mother just days after her historic win on "The Traitors UK." The devastating news cast a long shadow over Rachel's victory, turning joy into sorrow almost overnight.

A Shattering Loss Days After Victory

Rachel took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, 27 January 2026, to share the heartbreaking update with her followers. Her mother, Anne, passed away at the age of 70, only days after Rachel celebrated her monumental success on the BBC series.

"We are heartbroken to share the passing of our beautiful wee mummy💔," Rachel wrote. "We kindly ask for privacy as our family."

The emotional post was met with an immediate outpouring of love and condolences from fans who had followed Rachel's gripping journey on the show and grown deeply attached to the family she spoke about so often.

"Sorry for your loss Rachel and the Duffy family. I hope you got to go on that holiday like you planned to and made some beautiful memories. I'm sending so much love and light to you all ❤️," one person wrote.

"So sorry to read that your mother has passed away. Thanks to you the UK knows how much she was loved. Condolences to your family 💕," another shared.

"So sorry to hear about your mum sending you and your family lots of love x," a third offered. "So very sorry for your loss 💔🖤🥲," someone else added.

A Mother Who Was Her Inspiration

Just weeks before her death, Anne had been proudly featured in a touching post Rachel shared on 5 January as her run on "The Traitors UK" was just beginning. The image showed Anne sitting in a wing chair, smiling warmly as she held up a T-shirt reading, "MY DAUGHTER'S A TRAITOR."

"'Don't get caught!'" Rachel wrote at the time. "Words of wisdom from my wee mummy Anne who is not only my motivation on The Traitors but my inspiration in real life."

Rachel went on to reveal the long health battle her mother had endured. Anne was just 47 when she was diagnosed with Parkinson's and was later told she had dementia — life-altering news that reshaped the family's world.

Despite the challenges, Rachel said she and her family still found reasons to be in awe of her mother every day.

"Everything she has done for me and my four siblings is nothing short of incredible. Sharing caring responsibilities over the years for her has been a privilege and we are so proud to call her our mum," she said.

She also injected a note of humor into the heartfelt tribute, joking, "She wanted to show off her T-shirt — so say hi and be kind or I might just murder you 😏."

A Historic Win on 'The Traitors UK'

The tragedy came just days after Rachel achieved a major milestone in her career. On Friday, 23 January, she became the first woman to win the fourth series of "The Traitors UK," sharing the £95,750 prize pot with fellow finalist Stephen Libby.

The communications director from Newry, Northern Ireland was quickly hailed as one of the show's best-ever players, praised for her ability to gain trust among the Faithfuls while quietly executing her strategy. She also made no secret of her ambition to win.

That confidence, she revealed, stemmed in part from FBI-related training she claimed to have undertaken — at least as far as her competitors knew.

"I was trained by a former FBI agent so I did one of his training courses, but I did lie," Rachel admitted.

She later clarified that while she referred to it as a four-month online course when speaking to fellow contestants, it was actually a one-day course paired with an e-book — though she said it still gave her a useful point of reference.

Following her win, Rachel also revealed she had been quietly working on a passion project for a decade — her first novel — and was now planning to publish it.

"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 told the Mail on Sunday.

"It's a contemporary fantasy novel for young adults all about Irish redheads in a magical forest and a bit of murder thrown in."

Industry insiders have since predicted Rachel's income could skyrocket, suggesting she may become a millionaire — and potentially the richest Traitor yet.

But for Rachel, the prize money was never about fame or fortune.

During the emotional finale, she revealed she entered the competition for her mother, who had always been a devoted fan of the show. She said that if she won, she planned to spend the money on Anne and making precious memories together.

She was visibly overcome with emotion upon learning she had won £47,875.

"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," she shared.

Reflecting on her mother's health, Rachel added, "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."

She continued, "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!"

Heartbreakingly, those plans will now never come to pass — leaving Rachel to grieve a loss that has cut painfully close to the moment of her greatest success.