AS Claudia Winkleman’s Secret Traitor, Fiona Hughes revelled in reigning over the Faithfuls.
But after unravelling in a jawdropping kitchen showdown, the Welsh pocket rocket was tonight overthrown.
Around eight million viewers saw the former red-cloaked baddie get booted off The Traitors after clashing with formidable Rachel Duffy.
Fiona told The Sun: “It was incredibly tense. I was really the master of my own downfall.
“But I suspected that when there was the end game I would be thrown under the bus.
“Finding out I had the red cloak was something else. It was magical.
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“It was like waking up on Christmas Day and everything you’ve written on your Christmas list is there.
“I can remember when I took the oath and I had this cloak, just wanting to put it on straight away and let the killing begin.”
Fiona only joined Rachel and Stephen Libby as a regular Traitor on Wednesday, having previously had the ultimate power to pick the candidates for murder on her own.
But she quickly began to suspect Rachel of treachery and was furious when the Irish communications manager revealed that Amanda Collier — banished on Wednesday — had confided to her that she had been a police detective.
In a tense chat, Fiona branded Rachel a liar, saying: “I just want you to know that I’m suspicious.
“I think you’re going to get rid of Stephen and I.”
She added: “Are you fibbing? I think you have done this for your own benefit.”
Furious Rachel stormed off and blasted: “Fiona, that is shocking. Oh my God, are you for real? This game has officially started.”
Fiona told the group: “I believe that Rachel is a Traitor. I also believe that Amanda did not confide in Rachel.”
‘Bring the game on’
Now Fiona has admitted she felt she had no choice but to act.
Fresh out the castle, she said: “I needed to confront Rachel to be sure in my own mind that she was a team player and not playing singularly.
“The action I took was to get it all out in the open, and I felt at the time it was my only chance as Rachel was such a formidable player.
“I didn’t think I’d have another opportunity to put her name to the group as a potential Traitor.
“When somebody mentioned Stephen, she didn’t challenge their decision, whereas on one occasion when Rachel’s name had come up, I said, ‘No, I don’t think it’s Rachel’, and I’d said it as well with Stephen.
“So straight away I thought, she’s a lone wolf here, and if she’s going to get rid of somebody from the turret, it will be me.”
Last night Fiona met with her fellow Traitors expecting a hostile environment after the bitter clash as Rachel had openly stated she would be gunning for her.
Fiona said: “I wasn’t nervous going into the turret. I wanted to have a bit of a joke with Rachel, but she was so intense when I went in.
“There was just this immense look of, right — you’ve had it now, missus.
“So the only thing I could do in the turret was to say, ‘Well, come on then, bring the game on.’
“Because there was only ever going to be two outcomes — I was going to go, or she was going to go — and either way, it was out of my hands.”
Fiona’s demise came at the round table, where nine players voted for her to be banished — including Rachel and Stephen, who sobbed throughout.
Rachel spat: “The last few days I’ve been suspicious of Fiona.
“You know that I’m suspicious of you and I have let people know that, and last night’s pantomime was a result of that.”
Fiona responded: “There is no way I would behave the way I did yesterday if I’m not saying the truth.”
Later on, she tried again, insisting: “It’s not a lie! You must stop calling me a liar, ’cos I’m many things but I’m not a liar.” Rachel retorted: “But Fiona, when you tell a lie, you’re a liar.”
Today, though, the bubbly local government adviser from Swansea has nothing but praise for her nemesis.
She said: “Rachel is phenomenal but she started playing this game the minute she was selected.
“She was amazing, absolutely amazing. I’ve got so much respect for that woman.
“I would love for Stephen and Rachel to be a part of the final.”
More than 11million viewers have now watched the thrilling New Year’s Day launch episode when the Secret Traitor twist was introduced.
‘I don’t wear Tena pads’
For the first time, even viewers did not know the player’s identity, which meant we all guessed along at home with the help of The Sun’s Secret Traitor Tracker.
For Fiona, the twist made the experience unforgettable.
She joked: “I’m a woman of a certain age now. I don’t wear Tena pads, but that night I thought I needed a Tena! I was just so excited.
“It has been just brilliant. The power that came with it, the fact that the Traitors — the green cloaks — didn’t know who I was, but I knew them, that immense power was quite intimidating.
“I also knew there was a threat with that too, as they were having an opportunity to build allegiances, whereas I was very much on my own. But I wasn’t afraid of that.
“There wasn’t a moment in the castle playing this game where I wasn’t on cloud nine.”
And she doesn’t care about the prize pot, which currently stands at £47,250. She added: “It would have been lovely to have won, but it wasn’t going to happen.
“The reaction has been brilliant — I’ve gone global in Swansea, my boss told me!”