Finalist Alexander spoke about his late brother who had a learning disability, driving a huge number of donations to Mencap from fans of the show

So far, the charity has received around £30,000 from over 2,000 donations

27th Jan 2024 – A finalist of The Traitors, Alexander Dragonetti, has inspired donations to charity Mencap by sharing his experience of having a brother with a learning disability .

In the finalists’ dinner aired on Friday night, Alexander talked about his late brother who had Global Developmental Delay.

As a result, over 2,000 people have donated to the charity, raising around £30,000.

Fans have taken to social media to encourage others to donate and have shared their heartfelt reasons for supporting Mencap:

  • I’ve just donated on behalf of Alexander, my son has a learning disability, the struggle is real, thankyou to Alex for shining a spotlight on this wonderful charity 🥰
  • I donated about 10mins after the end of the show on Friday in his name. Because kindness counts ❤️ 1
  • He needs to be an ambassador - he’s incredible ❤️ 1
  • Mencap also supported my brother before he moved into assisted living, his outings with his support workers and other service users were really good for his well being. Thanks for what you do x

The contributions will go directly towards tackling the daily inequalities faced by people with a learning disability, helping them to lead happy, healthy lives.

Jon Sparkes OBE, Chief Executive of learning disability Mencap, says:

“We are really grateful to Alexander for courageously sharing his personal story about his late brother who had a learning disability on The Traitors. Despite not winning on Friday night Alexander remained faithful to the end and captured the hearts of the nation – he is our champion!


"Telling his story has inspired a tremendous wave of generosity from the public. Their overwhelming support for Mencap has been incredible, with generous donations around £30,000. These donations are needed more now than ever as people with a learning disability continue to face extensive inequalities every day.


"We know that when the experiences of people with a learning disability, and their loved ones, are represented in the media, it helps to change attitudes and make our society more inclusive. We loved watching Alexander’s journey throughout the show and want to thank him for all that he’s done.”

Comments from anonymous donors to the charity:

“My son is non verbal autistic and severe learning difficulties. I have a monthly donation but this one is for Alexander, it's what you wanted and this way, you still win. National treasure.”

“For Alexander from The Traitors. He may not have won, but we spread awareness of a truly worthy charity.”

“I have always had family friends with learning disabilities but it was Alexander from the traitors that inspired me to donate.”

“I support children with learning disabilities and was inspired by Alexander from the traitors to donate”

“I’m the parent of a child with learning disabilities who will need care in the future and I worry about his future when I’m gone every day. I also was moved by Alexander’s story on the traitors and wanted to donate to his cause even though he hadn’t won.”

“Alexander's story from The Traitors was touching and I'd love to help”

“I am a SEN [Special Educational Needs] teacher so the work that Mencap do is invaluable to the children I work with. In addition to this Alexander from the Traitors raising awareness to this charity in particular inspired me to donate.”

To find out more about the work Mencap does and offer your support visit: mencap.org.uk

ENDS 

For further information please contact Mencap’s media team media@mencap.org.uk or 02076965414 (including out of hours)

About Mencap:

Mencap exists to ensure the UK is the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives. We support people directly and campaign with people with a learning disability, their families and carers. We work to change laws, increase representation and campaign for better health, social care and employment opportunities for the 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK.


What is a learning disability?

A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which affects someone for their whole life. Typically, people with a learning disability need more time to learn and process information. They may need extra support to develop skills, complete tasks and interact with others, or they may have more complex needs requiring round-the clock care. The level of support needed is different for everyone and may change during a person’s lifetime.

Learning disability is NOT a mental illness or a learning difficulty. Often, the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used in place of ‘learning disability’. Having a learning difficulty (such as

ADHD or dyslexia ) may mean a person learns at a different pace or in a different way BUT – unlike a learning disability - it does not affect a person’s intellect.

With the right support, most people with a learning disability can lead happy, healthy, independent lives. At Mencap, it’s our mission to remove societal barriers and shatter misconceptions to make this more possible for more people.

Mencap’s guide to reporting on Learning Disability

When it comes to creating content with people with a learning disability, we know many people feel nervous about saying and doing the wrong thing. Our guide for journalists, covers everything from up to date facts and figures to the right language to use. It also includes tips on how to work with people with a learning disability to gather the best content.