I lost £100k after being betrayed in front of millions on TV game show Golden Balls… now I’m thousands of pounds in debt
A GOLDEN Balls contestant who lost £100,000 in one of the most iconic betrayals in TV history is thousands of pounds of debt.
Stephen Bushnall became an instant meme after his infamous 2008 appearance on the ITV game show.
But despite being robbed of a small fortune, Stephen admits he would still choose to share the cash.
The 50-year-old told MailOnline: “Right now I am £20,000 in debt through owed money and credit card bills.
“£50,000 at the time would have changed my life. I was in a lot of debt then and I still am now.”
Stephen, from Hartlepool, Co Durham, had reached the final round with opponent Sarah when they had a chance to split the £100,000 pot.
Rules stipulated the winnings would be shared equally if both contestants chose to split.
Both would leave empty-handed if each contestant opted to “steal” but if both chose a different option the “stealer” would keep the lot.
As Stephen picked up his ball, he told Sarah: “We’re going home with £50,000 each, I promise you that.”
But Sarah had other ideas and when she opened her golden ball she had opted to ‘steal’ and walked home with £100,000.
“She looked me in the eye and told me she would share and I believed her”, he added.
Devastated Stephen drowned his sorrows at the pub with host Jasper Carrott after the show and they stayed in touch.
He hasn’t spoken to Sarah since and she’s never offered him any of the cash.
But Stephen does hope she invested it wisely.
And 15-years on, he often finds himself mulling over his loss but is still convinced Sarah was going to split the winnings.
To add insult to injury, pals still send him clips of the excruciating moment as it continues to whirl around social media.
Golden Balls aired between 2007 and 2009.
But Stephen reckons the “brutal” show would be cancelled nowadays given cultural changes.