Traitors Ireland winner Diego reacts to Joanne McNally’s exit from Celebrity spin-off
Diego Rodrigues Caixeta, who won Traitors Ireland alongside fellow faithful Anna Murphy, is not convinced of a faithful win in Celebrity Traitors UK. Picture: Evan Doherty.
The winner of Traitors Ireland, Diego Rodrigues Caixeta, has said he is not holding his breath for a faithful win in this season of
Comedian Joanne McNally, the only Irish person to enter the castle, was banished during Thursday night’s episode — with just one day left until the finale.
Speaking to the Diego, who won alongside fellow faithful Anna Murphy in September, said that he had hoped to see McNally make it to the end.
Before McNally's banishment on Thursday night's episode, and the reveal of who the traitors are on which left her speechless, Diego said she was “the funniest person left in there” but that the heat had been on her.
“I think the traitors have the faithfuls wrapped around their fingers, so I’m not holding my breath for a faithful win,” he said.
Diego shocked fans of when he caught traitor Pauric O’Meara at the final gathering around the firepit outside Slane Castle, despite the Tipperary chancer’s impressively deceitful gameplay.
Speaking to the about how he identified Pauric as a traitor in the last hurdle of the game, Diego said his suspicions were raised after observing that influential "alpha" players were being murdered while he remained in the game.
The turning point occurred when Pete was banished and revealed himself to be a faithful, leaving Diego to navigate the endgame with Anna and Pauric.
He spoke about the need to successfully manage the tension of convincing Anna of his faithfulness while also keeping his knowledge of Pauric’s identity a secret.
“Anna always thought that I was a traitor. She mentioned me many times, and I was like, how am I going to convince Anna that I am faithful, and convince Pauric that I wanna punish Anna? Because I didn't want him to know that I knew that he was a traitor,” he explained.
He also touched on how he felt at the stage in the game where the remaining contestants are now — heading into the final.
“At this stage in the game, I was super exhausted and super nervous. The paranoia becomes so strong at this stage and you just second-guess everything, which isn’t a bad thing… sometimes,” he said.
“The round table gets really hard as the numbers go down. But I remember having this feeling of wanting to win because you're so close to the end. In the beginning, I was playing day by day and as the ending was approaching, I was looking for the end game and making sure I would be at the final pitch.”
He explained that contestants of the show filmed at the castle for two weeks in total, highlighting the intense environment and constant focus required to solve puzzles and navigate the social dynamics of the game.
For Diego, having his husband Denis Ryan by his side when entering the castle was important from a trust and support perspective, despite the stress of keeping the secret from fellow players that they were close allies.
Speaking about the difficulty of managing emotions after Denis was ‘murdered’ by the traitors and avoiding appearing suspicious to other players, he said: “I had to balance how I would react because I didn't want the other people to be asking, Why is he reacting so emotional?” He noted that he and Denis were always fans of the show, which they watched together, making the experience of taking part together even more meaningful.
He also shared how his participation in the show was in part a way to honour his late mother, who he opened up about to his fellow finalists on the show.
Seeing the experience as a way to embrace life and create new experiences following his mother's passing, he said: “I think since my mom passed away, I always wanted to honour her every time and every day when I wake up, I always think about her.
“I think grief… it's all these up and down feelings. I think my way of navigating it was to honour the life she gave me and do the best I can.
“She was so loved. I know I could be biased, but she is my mom and she was full of energy. She was very similar to me, as Denis says, you are your mother, like light and friendly. So, I feel so proud to be her son and represent her in that way.” It wasn’t just Diego’s sharp eye and ability to piece the puzzle together that caught people’s attention — his fashion sense even impressed the queen of the castle, host Siobhán McSweeney.
Making a conscious effort to wear Irish designers, he mentioned pieces he wore, from Pellador — knitwear and sportswear inspired by Irish sporting heritage — to archie — a fashion brand founded by New York designer Mark Smith Clarke who lives in West Cork.
“I think since a young age, I always loved wearing colourful clothes. I think fashion for me is a form of expression, and even wearing that big jacket, which I loved, it just gives you extra comfort, I think,” he said.
Diego, along with fellow faithful Anna, managed to catch the final remaining traitor during the final showdown of but can the remaining faithfuls of do the same?
The faithfuls — pop star Leigh-Anne Pinnock, singer James Blunt, actor Michael Sheen, actor and singer Sebastian Croft and comedian Romesh Ranganathan — will go head-to-head with the remaining traitors — TV presenter Maya Jama and YouTube star King Kenny — in tonight’s highly anticipated season finale.
The final will be the longest episode of the show to date, with 80 minutes of nail-biting drama set to unfold on BBC One and BBC iPlayer tonight from 8pm.
