The Traitors winner Stephen reveals why he didn't double cross Rachel in final roundtable

It hasn't even been a week since one of the greatest finals in The Traitors history, which saw Stephen and Rachel remain faithful to one another until the very end.

At the start of the year, Claudia Winkleman opened the doors to Ardross Castle once more for an epic game of betrayal and trust and before we knew it, she had chosen her four Traitors.

After weeks of high-octane missions, brutal banishments and treacherous murders, it came down to the final five and all they had to do was decide if there were still Traitors among them or if they were all Faithful.

Thanks to a pact made by Stephen and Rachel at the start, they stayed true to their words and did not put the other's name down once, which led to them banishing Jade, Faraaz and then Jack – therefore winning the season and taking home £47,875 each!

While the winning moment was extremely wholesome, it was a far cry from what many viewers thought was going to happen when Stephen spoke with Winkleman, considering how much better it would be to take home the full amount, an opportunity that presented itself as Jack was adamant that Rachel was indeed a Traitor.

Speaking exclusively at the Radio Times Covers Party 2026, Stephen explained his emotional state heading into the last roundtable of the series: "That final roundtable was very, very tense.

"I mean, they're all very tense, but that one, knowing there was so much on the line, first of all, was really scary.

"And also, at that point, I'd started to question whether Rachel had my back or not and so there's so many things running through my mind."

Stephen noted that he didn't know if Rachel was going to double cross him or if he was going to double cross Rachel, but was "so pleased that we both took that leap of faith in each other at the end".

As for why he decided to put his faith in Rachel, Stephen explained: "The main thing I wanted to do was leave there with my head held high, and I was considering putting Rachel's name down. I thought maybe if I didn't, I'd look like a fool if she had put my name down.

"But at the end of the day, I just thought, 'Look, whatever happens, if I just stick to the promise I can leave with my head held high.' And what a turnout. I just can't believe how it turned out!"

Read more:

• Jade from The Traitors reveals which video games she played to prepare – and it’s not the one you’d expect
• Siobhán McSweeney details what separates The Traitors Ireland from other international formats

Now on cloud nine as the winner of The Traitors, what's next for Stephen? It certainly isn't still cyber security, as he confirmed he has taken a break following his win.

"I would love to go into something that I'm more passionate about than cyber security," he told RadioTimes.com. "I mean, it's been very good to me over the years, which is great, but I'm taking a break from work at the moment, just going to put my feet up and see what happens.

"And then if, in the future, an opportunity presents itself to me that's more exciting than cyber security, I'll grab it with both hands."

The Traitors season 1-4 are available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

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