Fans have dubbed Rachel Duffy ‘the best and most honourable Traitor of all time’ after she and Stephen Libby won the hit BBC show.
The pair emerged victorious in Friday’s nail-biting final of The Traitors as host Claudia Winkleman announced they had won the game, with each contestant taking home a whopping £47,875.
In the most tense of finales, the pair were the first ever duo of traitors to triumph despite fans thinking that she would turn on her friend to win.
Stephen and Rachel have stuck together from the very beginning and it was a selfless move from Stephen at the end, who could’ve snatched the entire prize pot knowing Jack Butler would vote Rachel.
Instead, both Stephen and Rachel were loyal to the pact they made at the family tree, which was to not betray each other.
But fans have praised Rachel – who was so keen to win that she got training from an ex FBI agent on the art of lying – as one of the best Traitors there will ever be.
Fans have dubbed Rachel Duffy ‘the best and most honourable Traitor of all time’ after she and Stephen Libby won the hit BBC show
In the most tense of finales, the pair were the first ever duo of traitors to triumph despite fans thinking that she would turn on her friend to win
Flocking to social media, fans wrote: ‘Rachel really is the best and most honourable Traitor of all time. I’m ELATED’,
‘Rachel is without doubt up there as one of the finest traitors we’ve seen. SO well deserved’,
‘You could run the traitors for another 20 years and it would be hard to imagine there will ever be a better traitor than Rachel’,
‘This was the best final yet! The faithful traitors played a sublime game, well Rachel did and just hoped Stephen went along with it’,
‘Rachel & Stephen effing DID IT!!!!!!! Only person I feel sorry for is Faraaz. Claudia saying “2 traitors but totally faithful to each other” Gosh, their bond. Rachel is my president!’
‘Incredible result. What a queen Rachel is, she won it for Stephen realistically. Smart, cool and in control the whole way through; what a woman!’
Following her win, industry insiders have told the Daily Mail that Rachel’s income is now set to rocket, as they tip the mother of three from Newry, Northern Ireland to become a millionaire – and the richest Traitor yet.
The communications director, 43, has been branded one of the BBC show’s best-ever players, hailed for her ability to gain so many friends among the Faithfuls. And it’s this appealing charisma which looks likely to turbocharge her earnings potential.
Stephen and Rachel were loyal to the pact they made at the family tree, which was to not betray each other
Fans have flocked to social media and praised Rachel as one of the best Traitors there will ever be
Rachel underwent four months of FBI online training, which, she said, enabled her to spot a liar at a hundred paces
During the series, Rachel amassed an impressive 89,800 Instagram followers and a further 54,100 followers on TikTok.
On Friday, one celebrity agent told the Daily Mail: ‘Rachel is a superstar, she’s brilliant and she has been the standout contestant from start to finish.
‘She has won millions and millions of fans and showbiz agents know they can make her a fortune. Already they are thinking about what other reality television programmes they can get her on. She has all of the ingredients for stardom.
‘In a few days she will be inundated with people wanting to represent her. She has been a household name for the last three weeks and she will continue to be so.’
The duo appeared on The Traitors spin-off show Uncloaked to reflect on the intense finale.
Rachel said: ‘I was so nervous for Stephen so watching it back, it made me cry.’
Stephen added: ‘I didn’t know what I was going to do, watching it back I can see in my face. I’m just so proud of the decision that I made, proud of myself and Rachel.’
Earlier in the series, Stephen had expressed doubts over whether Rachel would keep her side of the pact they made never to write each other’s names on their slates at the roundtable.
Following her win, industry insiders have told the Daily Mail that Rachel’s income is now set to rocket, as they tip the mother of three from Newry, Northern Ireland to become a millionaire
Stephen and Rachel explained why they were determined to stick to the agreement, despite initial doubts
Now, speaking after their win, the pair explained why they were determined to stick to the agreement, despite initial doubts.
Rachel said: ‘I knew from the minute it came out of my mouth I wouldn’t break the pact and I thought this is a new game for me I’m not breaking it.’
Stephen added: ‘It’s so hard to trust someone in there whose job it is to lie and so I was really struggling to see how Rachel could hold onto that pact for the whole game which is why to the end I was wobbling.’
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, which, she said, enabled her to spot a liar at a hundred paces. The ex agent tutored her in how to spot micro-expressions, read blink patterns, and monitor breathing and swallowing.
She also practised keeping a straight face while lying to her lawyer husband, Seamus, and said she became so good even he couldn’t now tell if she was telling fibs.
‘My husband can’t even tell if I’m telling the truth any more, not that I lie to him all that often, but I could wind him up and say something off the cuff, and he’s like, ‘I don’t even know if that’s true!’ she said.
