ITV host Ant McPartlin claims he got told off for his reaction to one of TV’s biggest ever game-show jackpots.
Ant and Dec’s Limitless Win saw NHS workers Helen and Charlie take home the whopping £1 million jackpot on Saturday night (13 January).
The couple - who work as a NHS finance manager and a NHS communications manager - revealed that they had a clever strategy all along.
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After the show, Charlie explained: “On the morning of the record, we talked about having a code between us should a question come up that one of us was absolutely 100 percent certain about.
“That way we could go for the big answer if it came along. We decided to use the code ‘I know, know the answer’.
“As soon as that question came up, I realised that I knew, knew it – 100% – so there was nothing to be nervous about.
“The only time we realised the scale of it was when we locked in the answer and the whole audience gasped."
So, after banking their £100,000, the jackpot suddenly reached £1 million and Charlie was 'hyperventilating' when seeing the total prize money.
And the question that won the couple the £1 million prize was: "2024 marks how many years since Blur beat Oasis to the UK number 1 spot with the song 'Country House'."
Certain of the jackpot answer, Charlie said: "29. I know. It's 29."
When the pair were announced as the winners, Helen said: "This is beyond anything, it's been amazing from start to finish.
"We both feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to be on the show, and then even luckier that we got the right question at the right time and that we have walked away with the money.
"If we can do it then I'm sure others will be able to win even more in the future."
The couple weren't the only ones who were buzzing, as Dec's other half Ant McPartlin launched himself on the desk as if his beloved Toon Army just scored in the 90th minute.
But the 48-year-old has since revealed that he got told off for doing so.
"It was quite a chunk, so it was a real gamble," Ant explained. "That's why I jumped on the desk. Even though I did get told off!"
He added: "We've been involved thankfully in some gloriously epic Saturday night TV. The Will and Gareth Pop Idol final, Susan Boyle and Diversity on BGT. The atmosphere in the studio was as electric as those!"
Dec also said: "Ant nearly broke the desk! We're gonna have to take that of their winnings."
The next episode of Ant and Dec's Limitless Win will be on Saturday on ITV.
Topics: ITV, Ant McPartlin, TV and Film
Anish Vij