The Traitors finalist Alexander Dragonetti has inspired people to donate more than £70,000 to a charity after he spoke about his brother’s story on the show.
In an interview on The UK Tonight With Sarah-Jane Mee, Mr Dragonetti said more than £70,000 had been raised for Mencap, an organisation supporting people with learning disabilities.
“The response has been fantastic. Anybody who supports or raises awareness on what to me is an incredibly important topic, I’m so incredibly grateful. The response has been fantastic.”
The former British diplomat opened up about how his late brother, who had Global Developmental Delay and autism, saying for a week a year his brother would go to a summer camp where he also volunteered to help other children.
The 38-year-old described how his brother would be “the centre of attention”, adding: “Everyone would flock around and he had this energy where he just drew people to him. And he was also slightly cooler than I was. I just stood there and waved, bathed in his reflected glory. It was such fun for him.”
Mr Dragonetti said his brother, who died aged 17, would have been really excited to see him appear on TV as part of the BBC show.
He said while it is “fantastic having special needs children” it can also be “really challenging”, adding: “Often parents don’t have much of a voice. And if I can create or help to create that voice for parents to help get them the support they need, that would be probably my most proud outcome from the show.”
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‘I was actually texting Leanne during the final episode’
Mr Dragonetti did not win the latest series of The Traitors. He lost to project manager Jake Brown and former soldier Leanne Quigley, who won the £94,600 prize pot.
But after a tense finale, is he still friends with his fellow contestants?
“We actually are all friends now,” he revealed. “I was actually texting Leanne during the final episode, saying ‘I’m so sorry to have accused you,’ and she was texting me saying, ‘Oh my God, I got it so wrong.’
“So we’ve actually become really close since the end of that. And it’s been really nice to get to know each other in a slightly less pressurised way.”
Told he had “become the nation’s sweetheart” and asked if he was still single, Mr Dragonetti said: “I am. No further comment.”
