WESTBURY woman Jean Brown recently beat the banker on the hit show “Deal or No Deal” to win £20,000.
Jean was the contestant on the popular Channel 4 programme which was broadcast on Monday 8th February.
Jean, 76, got her chance to play the game following 26 occasions of watching others go through the nerve-wracking process. When Jean’s name was finally called to play, she took part in costume as a love goddess opposite host Noel Edmonds as the Greek god Zeus, as it was the programme’s “Valentine’s Week”.
Jean said, “It was a wonderful experience. My son Michael entered me for it last year because he knew I loved the show. He said, ‘Mum, you’re not shy at all, why not go for it?’ He wrote to them and they sent the paperwork.”
“Noel and all the production staff were so friendly and kind.”
At the climax of the show Jean was left with a choice; to accept a £20,000 guaranteed offer from the “banker”, or take a gamble and continue to try and win £100,000.
Jean took the money and later found out that she had held £20,000 in her own box.
She said, “I had set myself a target of £10,000, but to come out with anything would have been great so I’m very happy.”
Jean plans to spend some of the money on a new patio at her home, and treated her grandchildren to fancier presents at Christmas.
Jean added that the main thing she’ll take away from being on the show was a “wonderful experience” with the other contestants.
She said, “We had such a good time. We had almost three weeks paid holiday in this lovely hotel and we all mixed in fantastically. We got on so well and had a laugh.”
“We got to know each other and when you see them play the game you really feel for people, because you’ve heard their stories.”
The shows were pre-recorded in October last year, and Jean had to keep her winnings under wraps until after the broadcast. She admitted that it had been difficult at times to not give it away.
She said, “I’ve been going up the High Street and people have been stopping me and saying ‘I’ve seen you on TV!’ It was quite hard to keep it secret, especially as my grandchildren kept on and on to tell them!”
