Are The Traitors' Frankie and Freddie related? The mum and son duo theory explained

22 January 2025, 20:55

Fans think The Traitors' Frankie and Freddie could be mum and son. Picture: BBC/Instagram

By Jenny Medlicott

Are Freddie and Frankie from The Traitors related? Here’s everything we know about the popular fan theory and whether it's true.

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As a game that quite literally rewards deceit, it’s no surprise that The Traitors has given way to countless conspiracy theories about the contestants and their lives in the outside world.

We’ve seen Charlotte perfect a fake Welsh accent (for reasons that still remain a mystery to most fans), Lisa keep the truth about her priesthood tucked away, and of course, an 'Oscar-worthy' performance from the show's beloved Linda.

And in previous years, we’ve seen plenty of other contestants keep the true nature of their relationship a secret - including last year’s Diane and Ross who hid the fact they were mother and son from everyone else on the show.

So it’s certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that we could see a similar revelation this time around, and some fans are insistent that if this is the case, Freddie and Francesca are the ones doing the secret-keeping. Here’s why...

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Fans are convinced Frankie and Freddie are related. Picture: BBC/Instagram

Why do The Traitors fans think Freddie and Frankie are related?

The fan theories about the pair being secretly related kicked off after Francesa reassured Freddie in an earlier episode when the 20-year-old started to get emotional. Feeling bad for the Politics student, Francesca offered him a hug to help calm him down.

Explaining her behaviour, Francesca said he was “a similar age to my sons”, which was then followed by Freddie’s assertion “Frankie’s like a mum to me in here”.

While it may have been an innocent comment, you can’t blame some fans for starting to raise eyebrows…

But the theory really picked up after last Friday’s episode when the contestants all shared a dinner party together. Sat around the dinner table, things got emotional as they all opened up about how they planned to spend the prize money if they won.

Francesca, a 44-year-old single mother to three sons, got teary as she said: “I would like it for my boys; that’s the reason I’m here.

“Single mums can’t rely on anybody; you have to be self-sufficient, and I would like to put money towards my son going to university.”

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A post shared by Freddie Fraser || Traitors (@freddiefraserr)

This was later followed by Freddie’s answer, which had some striking familiarities. He told his fellow contestants: “I live at home with just me and my mum.

“She’s a single parent, and she’s had so many jobs for, like, the whole of her life, so first of all, I’d pay off some of her debt, or take her on holiday, or give her something sweet.

“And also, if I want to do law school, I’ve got to pay for it myself, so I’d put money towards that.”

And it’s safe to say the overlap between their stories left some viewers majorly suspicious, with one writing on X: “Freddie wants to pay for university, Frankie wants to pay for her kids university, Freddie’s mum is a single mum, Frankie is a single mum – are the dots connecting or are they leading us astray?”

It’s also worth noting that Freddie’s Instagram feed, full of plenty of Traitors content, actually only has two posts where another contestant from the show is visible in the thumbnail. And you’ll never guess who features in both of those posts - yep, that’s right, Francesca.

So are Freddie and Frankie actually related, are they having us on or are we just reading into something that’s not really there?

22 contestants from The Traitors season 3. Picture: BBC

Are The Traitors' Freddie and Frankie actually related?

Despite some pretty compelling evidence, the theory about Freddie and Francesca has officially been put to bed after one fan did some social media sleuthing.

The fan tracked down the Facebook account of Freddie’s actual mum, which had a tribute post to her son on it. She wrote: “My son Freddie is at university in his 3rd year of a politics degree, has had to work part-time jobs in Sainsbury’s and M&S to make ends meet, and is currently on The Traitors.

“I am proud as punch!!!!! He is determined to win and grab life by both hands and feet… I’m inspired by him to do more in life.”

It’s not a total shock that the theory has emerged as untrue, because those on the show typically keep any secrets they have from the other contestants, not the people watching at home.

That’s not to say a bombshell of this kind wouldn’t be welcome, because we all love a twist after all.

But with nothing confirmed as of yet, speculation continues to grow about other potential theories, and we can’t wait to see what the finale has in store.