The Traitors’ Stephen Libby hopes he has painted ‘good picture’ of Hebrides

By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

The Traitors star Stephen Libby has said that he hopes he has been a “positive representation” of the Hebrides and that his time on the show has helped “paint a good picture” of the Western Isles.

The cyber security consultant from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, won the latest series of the beloved BBC reality game show alongside traitor Rachel – with the pair becoming the first to win as a team of Traitors.

Hailing from the remote Scottish isles, but now based in London, the TV star has been very vocal about his home and the importance to show that people are more “well-rounded” than some might think.

Speaking on the red carpet at the TV Choice Awards in central London, he told the Press Association: “I think for me personally I always, even before I was on TV and just living in London, wanted to be a positive representation of the Western Isles.

“I think if you have not been there and only read about it in books or whatever you probably think that we still live in blackhouses without any internet and we get our water from the stream.

“I want to show that I am as much Hebridean as the next person and that we are more well-rounded than people might think.

“If I can just help paint a good picture of the Outer Hebrides, I will have done my job. That’s all I wanted to do.”

Set in the Scottish Highlands, the series, which is up for the best reality TV award, has been a ratings hit for the BBC with 9.6 million people tuning in to the final.

Joining him on the carpet was crime writer and faithful contestant Harriet who went viral after she called out traitor Rachel during a confessional followed by a tense confrontation in front of the remaining players – a move which consequently got her banished from the castle.

Speaking about the moment she announced that she was going after Rachel, Stephen said: “It was delivered in the campest manner but I have never been so scared in my life.

“I couldn’t have pictured anyone better to deliver that line than Harriet it was just like lifted from the pages of a book and what better person to do that.

“We were terrified.”

Stephen and Rachel formed an alliance at the start of the series and went on to outmanoeuvre all the faithful contestants, winning the series and splitting the prize pot of £95,750, taking home £47,875 each.

Speaking about the winners, Harriet added: “They were the most brilliant traitors.

“I don’t think we’ve seen anything like it in the terms of the relationship in the turret.

“It was gorgeous to see.”

The Traitors first aired in 2022 and has gone on to broadcast four series as well as its first celebrity spin-off which aired in the autumn and saw comedian Alan Carr snatch the victory from faithful historian David Olusoga and actor Nick Mohammed in its dramatic finale.