She may technically be a ‘traitor’, but BBC The Traitors’ Rachel Duffy has proved she’s a firm faithful when it comes to her family and causes close to her heart. At this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Rachel joined a very special garden to show support, in honour of her late mum, Anne.
Rachel’s mother lived with Parkinson’s (and later dementia) from the age of 47, and became the founder and chairperson of the first Newry and Mourne Parkinson’s support group. During the show, Rachel had spoken about using the prize money to make memories with her mum. Sadly, just after being revealed as the winner of The Traitors, Anne passed away.
Now, Rachel is continuing her mum’s work raising awareness by getting involved in Parkinson UK’s garden at RHS Chelsea. Speaking about her mum and her illness from inside ‘A Garden for Every Parkinson’s Journey’ on Monday (18 May), Rachel said, ‘she was very passionate about speaking about it’.
Rachel has been open about Anne’s experience with her illnesses, praising her ‘wee mummy’ for being ‘nothing short of incredible’ in social media posts. Rachel also revealed that her mum was ‘not only my motivation on The Traitors but my inspiration in real life, ‘sharing a photograph of Anne holding a T-shirt printed with the words: My daughter’s a traitor.
The Parkinson’s UK garden was designed by Arit Anderson, who also has a close connection to the cause. ‘This is a personal garden for me as my sister is living with Parkinson’s, so I really wanted to raise awareness of this little understood condition,’ she said, via the RHS website. The design of the space was inspired by a workshop for gardeners living with Parkinson’s and their loved ones.
The official information describes the garden as ‘joyful’, and as a space that has been ‘designed as a sanctuary that both supports and appreciates those navigating this complex neurological condition’. Key features include an accessible path through planting borders and a sculptural handrail/water feature. ‘The movement and sound of water provide sensory cues designed to assist with ‘freezing’, a common Parkinson’s symptom,’ explain the RHS.
