The Traitors is back, with tears shed, brutal murders and contestants banished from the Scottish castle – all guided by Claudia and her perfect fringe and inspo-worthy outfits.
And one contestant who is impressing viewers is Leanne Quigley. So far safe from the Traitors, fans originally thought that the star may be hiding a secret – speculating that the star could be close to someone else already in the villa.
Viewers took to social media to speculate that the Welsh-born star – who described herself as a nail technician – could be romantically involved with one of her fellow contestants. ‘Leanne and Alexander are a couple?’ guessed one, as another questioned, ‘Anyone else think Leon and Leanne are married in real life?’
Of course, dear readers, they were very wrong...
However, Leanne is hiding one big secret from her fellow contestants that may just be her ticket to the final. With season three unfolding, here’s everything to know about Leanne.
Who is Leanne Quigley?
28 year old Leanne is from Holywell, North Wales, and appeared on season three of The Traitors as a Faithful.
Here to play a clever game, Leanne actually entered the show with a plan. Although she told her fellow contestants that she was a nail technician, the star is actually a former soldier.
Opening up about disguising her identity, she explained, ‘Harry Clark won last year. Obviously he was a soldier and bare-faced lied his way to the end. I feel like it would put me at a bit of a disadvantage to divulge my previous job because people are automatically going to assume anyone in the military is smart and strategic.’
And her disguise was carefully crafted. Opening up about her plan, Leanne explained, ‘I’m going to say I’m a nail technician, and I work in the salon that’s down the road from my house. I’m in that salon all the time. I might as well work there, because my sister-in-law owns the salon with her best friend, so I’m always in.’
‘I know a lot about the salon. I do feel like I’m part of the team anyway, and that’s how I feel like I’ll get away with it.’
Why did Leanne apply for The Traitors?
Leanne decided to apply for the show after being encouraged by her partner. She recalled, ‘I remember we were watching an episode, and she fell asleep on the sofa with the twins, so I obviously had to pause it because I would have had to end up watching it twice.’
‘I thought, how funny would it be if I went upstairs, applied, and by the time she woke up from her nap, I could have been like, “I’ve just applied to be on The Traitors!” So I did it. I ran upstairs, and I didn’t realise how much was on the application and the video. I was trying to do the video as quietly as I possible could.’
Describing herself as a ‘really enthusiastic person,’ Leanne also revealed that she had prepped ahead of her stint in the castle – saying, ‘I’ve rewatched the show again this week, and I’ve been looking at it in a different light and trying to understand how stressful it is, how stressful it is going to be, and just trying to process that and understand it.’
The star also said her athleticism could give her an edge – saying, ‘I think I’ll be great at missions. I’ve been in the Army for 12 years. I’ve done a lot of physical exercise. However, I have had children very recently, so I’m also really hoping my physical side won’t let me down.’
Is Leanne from The Traitors married?
Despite viewers speculating that Leanne’s other half could be inside the Scottish castle with her, Leanne is actually engaged to her partner, named Sophie Jones. The couple got engaged in August, and share twin boys together.
Leanne recently announced on Instagram an update on her partner’s health, after Sophie was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Alongside a snap of them together in the hospital, Leanne wrote, ‘This is the only news we needed and wanted. On the 31st July 2024, my partner and mother of my children was diagnosed with grade-three breast cancer. Watching the person you love fight through chemotherapy is up there with the worst things on earth.’
Adding that they received the news Sophie was now cancer free on January 8, Leanne wrote, ‘I cannot put into works how proud and how in awe I am of her strength every single day. For anybody fighting, or for anybody watching their loved ones fight this horrible disease, I see you and I feel you. Please don’t give up.’
‘We quickly learnt to never take anything for granted every again, and sadly had to learn that tomorrow is never promised, and fear of the unknown killed us inside.’
Underneath the post, Sophie shared her love for her fiancée – writing, ‘You have absolutely held your head up high and got me through this, babe. I couldn’t wish for a better woman by my side. Now let’s go and enjoy our life.’
Alongside those sharing their support for the couple was The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman – who commented a series of love-heart emojis.
How would Leanne spend the prize money?
Before entering the show, Leanne opened up about how she would spend the money if she won – revealing that expanding her family is top of the list.
She shared, ‘I would love to go through IVF again. I went through IVF with my boys, and I was very poorly throughout my pregnancy, and then I went into early labour at six months. The boys were only 26 weeks when they were born.’
‘Because I was so poorly at the time, I feel like I missed out on enjoying that newborn stage. I’m so, so grateful to have them, and I’m so lucky that they’re alive. I would love the opportunity to have another baby, hopefully have a bit of a better experience. And to make our family bigger.’
Is Leanne on Instagram?
Yes! You can follow her over at @leannequigleyx