The Traitors finalist Alexander Dragonetti has thanked his supporters who have helped raise thousands for the learning disability charity Mencap.
Following Alexander’s shock exit from the Bafta-winning reality show on Friday, it was revealed he had been playing with the hopes of donating his prize money to Mencap.
He shared that the organisation had provided help and support to his family while his brother, who had a learning disability, was alive.
On Monday, Mencap revealed they’d been flooded with donations from The Traitors viewers, with £30,000 being raised in the space of just a few days.
Reacting to the news, Alexander told Yahoo: “That is fantastic. I am so grateful to anybody who’s donated or felt moved to spread awareness about it.
“I know firsthand how challenging it can be for parents with children with special needs or siblings with brothers and sisters who have special needs or other relationships too.”
He added: “It’s such a challenging job. It’s a full-time job, and it’s very hard to advocate or to speak out as well.
“And if I can play that role even a bit for families like that or with charities, then I’d be honoured to do that, and it would be one of the most powerful things that I could take out of this experience.”
In a post on its website, Mencap said that the £30,000 raised by Traitors fans “will go directly towards tackling the daily inequalities faced by people with a learning disability, helping them to lead happy, healthy lives”.
Chief executive Jon Sparkes enthused: “We are really grateful to Alexander for courageously sharing his personal story about his late brother who had a learning disability on The Traitors.
“Despite not winning on Friday night Alexander remained faithful to the end and captured the hearts of the nation – he is our champion!
“Telling his story has inspired a tremendous wave of generosity from the public. Their overwhelming support for Mencap has been incredible, with generous donations around £30,000. These donations are needed more now than ever as people with a learning disability continue to face extensive inequalities every day.”
He added: “We know that when the experiences of people with a learning disability, and their loved ones, are represented in the media, it helps to change attitudes and make our society more inclusive. We loved watching Alexander’s journey throughout the show and want to thank him for all that he’s done.”
Last week, Alexander gave an interview to the BBC about how The Traitors had helped him become more “vulnerable”, after trying to “shut off” his emotions in the wake of his brother’s death.
“I’ve always struggled to be somebody who shows their emotions, not least because when my brother died, it was so overwhelming, so deeply emotional, that I just struggled to go back there,” he admitted. “I try to shut all that off, and I always think that if I make the best choices, I can avoid ever having to feel like that again.”
Alexander said: “I think the game has really taught me of the importance of being vulnerable.
“I think that’s something I learnt over the course of the game, that being messy and human and vulnerable is how you actually connect with people, and it’s something I’ll try to do more of.”
The first three seasons of The Traitors UK are all available to stream on BBC iPlayer.