After losing The Traitors, Dragonetti inspires £95,000 in donations for late brother

Alexander Dragonetti did not win the third series of the BBC reality show The Traitors, but his appearance inspired an extraordinary response from viewers. After sharing the story of his late brother, James, who had a learning disability and autism, the former British diplomat inspired thousands of people to donate to Mencap, a UK charity that had supported his family. Dragonetti had said he wanted to donate some of his potential prize money to the organisation in tribute to his brother. Although he left the competition without the winnings, viewers rallied around the cause. Donations initially reached around £30,000 before climbing further, with Mencap announcing in April 2025 that the fundraising total had reached approximately £95,000. The charity later recorded £96,556 raised through the campaign.How Dragonetti's brother inspired the fundraisingDragonetti spoke about his brother James during the third series of The Traitors, explaining the importance of the support his family had received. James had global developmental delay and autism, and he died at the age of 17, when Alexander was 24.Mencap had supported James through its summer camps, which gave him opportunities to spend...