I won £2k dream holiday on Tipping Point but it was cruelly CANCELLED & it’s not my fault – we’re totally gutted
A CONTESTANT on the hit TV show Tipping Point had a dream holiday cruelly cancelled without it being their fault.
Maxine Longmuir, 69, won a holiday to the Domes Lake Algarve resort in Portugal after appearing on the show last April.
She didn’t win any cash on the hit ITV gameshow, but managed to scoop a mystery prize that turned out to be the incredible holiday.
But her dream turned into a nightmare when she was diagnosed with a heart condition and told she needed surgery and couldn’t fly.
Maxine had been due to take off on April 19 with hubby Graham Hewson, 67, for the seven night break.
They were set to celebrate the pair’s wedding anniversary and Maxine’s 70th birthday.
But her doctor found the winner had atrial fibrillation – a fast or erratic heartbeat – and wouldn’t let her go.
Now the holiday company is refusing to let her re-book the holiday, leaving Maxine grounded at home in Dorset.
She told MailOnline: “We haven’t been able to take a holiday for five years and I’d booked coach tickets to the airport and arranged for a friend to come and look after our dogs.
“I’m so disappointed. It’s maddening because they’ve had the PR from it but I haven’t got anything. I went back and told them some other dates I could do but the holiday company Destinology just said no.”
Maxine struck out on the show when she was asked a question about a Chancellor of the Exchequer but drew a blank.
But Maxine said that despite winning no cash and potentially losing the holiday, she still came away with one win.
“I still got what I wanted – I only went on there to get a hug with Ben. I’d never been on a TV show before.”
Tipping Point contestants win the mystery prize when the green question mark counter drops into the tray.
The hit show has been on screens since 2012 and sees contestants answering questions and trying to win cash from a giant arcade-style push machine.
Along the way, they could also try and secure double money tokens and ‘mystery’ tokens, which are often a gift experience or items for the home.
Sometimes the mystery prizes have turned out to be duds like a bouquet of flowers once a month for a year.
While Carol said that was “lovely”, some viewers at home were not in agreement.
One wrote on Twitter: “C**p mystery prize klaxon!”
Another added: “I think those flowers get the award for worst mystery prize #tippingpoint.”
The Sun has contacted Destinology for comment but MailOnline reported that it understood the company had contacted Maxine to discuss the holiday.
I made Tipping Point history as first deaf contestant
TIPPING Point history was made after the first ever deaf contestant competed, with bosses takes measures to ensure everything ran smoothly.
Martine Monksfield has advised other deaf people who might consider going on game shows to “absolutely go for it!”.
During the vetting process, she was required to complete an online application form and a phone interview via a British Sign Language interpreter.
When asked why she applied for the show, she jokingly said: “I thought no deaf person had been on it before, and it would be nice to be the first – play the deaf card where possible eh!”
After the interview, they agreed that she would have live captions for Ben’s questions but stressed that she would also need a BSL interpreter for the conversations in between and for other players’ answers.