Author: bang1

Gemma Collins has her eye on a role in Coronation Street after becoming good mates with one of the cast members – and she has a very specific idea of the character she’d like to play

Gemma Collins is on a quest to snag a part on the iconic soap Coronation Street. The reality TV queen, who’s an avid fan of the show, revealed it would be a dream come true to tread the cobbles. She’s even got a friend in the cast to potentially join her on screen. Gemma told The Daily Star: “It would be amazing to be on a soap one day. I’d love to be in Corrie. I recently met Claire Sweeney and I think she’s hilarious, so I could go on the cobbles with her.”

The Essex diva is determined to land a role that’s a stark contrast to her glamorous life and wants to shock viewers with a gritty portrayal. She explained: “I’d like to play a character that’s memorable. I want to play someone people wouldn’t expect… a character who’s very different to what people think I’d be.”

Gemma recently met Claire Sweeney ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

She even has an idea for her potential character, suggesting: “Maybe I could be someone who is sleeping rough on the streets… someone who is covered in cuts and bruises,” reports the Daily Star.

Coronation Street has been graced by several celebrities, including Peter Kay, Lorraine Kelly, and Paddy McGuinness, and Gemma could well be next. But it’s not just Corrie that’s caught her eye; she’s also open to exploring Albert Square on EastEnders

Gemma recently met Claire Sweeney ( 
Image:
Instagram)

With her recent success, where she reportedly made £1,000-per-second, Gemma confidently told Daily Star she’s up for giving the EastEnders crew a “run for their money,” cheekily adding: “I never say never, hun!”

Mulling over the possibility of gracing a beloved TV soap, she hinted: “If the right role came along, I’d absolutely consider it. I love bringing a bit of glamour and fun wherever I go. So, who knows? Maybe one day I’ll be strutting down Albert Square, giving everyone a run for their money.”

Opening up about her choices in television gigs, she also shared: “Let’s just say I’m quite selective these days. I’ve learned to trust my gut. If something doesn’t feel right, I’ll pass. Life’s too short to say yes to things that don’t light you up. No major regrets though – every experience has taught me something.”

Denise Welch has mocked her son Matt Healy after The 1975 frontman shared a story of his life as a struggling musician – with the TV star branding his account “absolute b******s”

Denise Welch, the Loose Women star, has bluntly dismissed her rock star son Matt Healy’s account of his past. She labelled his stories as “absolute b******s” during a recent podcast.

She laughed at how Matty, frontman of The 1975, downplayed his privileged upbringing, saying: “He told this story about how he slaved away laboriously working at Caffé Nero so that he could buy his first guitar. Absolute b******s!”

Denise had told Matty that she was happy to support him as he pursued his rock and roll dream, but insisted that he got himself a job as well. He managed to do just that, getting himself a job at the popular national coffee chain.

Denise says Matty’s childhood was quite comfortable, no matter what he says nowadays ( 
Image:
Mirrorpix)
Speaking on the My Favourite Takeaway podcast, Denise recalled: “He came back after a week and told me that he was going to get a certificate as the best trainee barista they’d ever had. I was as proud as if he’d said ‘barrister.’

“I was incredibly proud. It turned out – and I didn’t know until a significant amount of time later – that he had actually been fired after a week for being the worst trainee barista they’d ever had.”

She revealed that the gifted songwriter continued to leave their home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, for nearly a month, donning his Caffé Nero T-shirt to keep his parents in the dark. .

Matty’s version of his past is a little more ‘rock and roll’ than the reality, Denise says ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
Matty Healy and his songwriting partner George Daniel, the drummer for the 1975, took on a part-time job delivering takeaways for their local Chinese restaurant to make ends meet.

Denise jokingly recalled that whenever she and Matty’s dad, the actor Tim Healy, ordered food, it would take ages to arrive – unless Matty was at home, in which case it would arrive promptly, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Denise teased that Matty and George would always receive generous tips from his parents.

She playfully mocked Matty’s portrayal of his struggling musician days, saying: “It was almost like he was kicking a tin can down the back roads in some kind of, really dark, depressing place when he actually lived in a lovely house with his parents, who were tipping him all the time and buying food for him and his friends.

“But nevertheless this is obviously the ‘Liam Gallagher version’ of life that he’s chosen to project.”

Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly were back with a new series of Limitless Win on Saturday night and ITV viewers were all left saying the same thing after watching the first episode

Fans of Ant and Dec’s Limitless Win were left echoing a similar sentiment after tuning into the first episode of the much-anticipated new series.

The prime-time quiz show made its comeback for a fourth season on Saturday (January 4) evening, with viewers still buzzing from last series’ record-breaking £1 million jackpot – the largest ever in the history of Limitless Win.

With the bar set sky-high, fresh contestants are now gearing up to tackle the limitless ladder in hopes of securing their own fortune over the course of six hour-long episodes, airing on Saturdays and Sundays for three weeks.

The innovative game show format features an infinite money ladder, presenting participants with the opportunity to bag an unprecedented unlimited jackpot.

Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly were back with a new series of Limitless Win on Saturday night ( 
Image:
ITV)

The first duo to face the challenge of the Limitless Ladder were Joe and his sister-in-law Jo, who shared that they had been preparing by measuring items in the supermarket with a tape measure, dreaming of splurging on a grand family holiday if they won big.

They sailed through the initial question, but the second one proved to be a head-scratcher – not just for them but for many viewers watching at home as well.

The puzzling question asked: “According to its product specification, a ‘Welsh Leek’ has a minimum total length of how many centimetres.”

The first duo to face the challenge of the Limitless Ladder were Joe and his sister-in-law Jo ( 
Image:
ITV)
This left some fans perplexed, with numerous viewers admitting they’d never even heard of a Welsh Leek before. Flocking to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, audiences shared their thoughts on the challenging query, with one viewer posting: “#LimitlessWin two questions that you could know after the leak question that almost nobody would know.”, reports Chronicle Live.

“Never heard of a Welsh Leek interesting question,” quipped one viewer, while another was puzzled: “What on earth is a Welsh leek? ” The lively debate continued as Joe confidently claimed it was ‘at least 20cm’, though his sister-in-law suggested toning down the estimate.

Limitless Win gives contestants the chance to win life-changing amounts of money ( 
Image:
ITV)Despite the back-and-forth, they eventually agreed on 20cm. However, hosts Ant and Dec unveiled that the answer wasn’t right after all and informed the viewers, with Ant disclosing: “The exact answer is 28cm.”

Spaghetti Bolognese is one of the contestants taking part in The Masked Singer UK 2025 and eagle-eyed fans think they know exactly who is hiding behind the wacky disguise

The Masked Singer UK viewers are convinced they’ve rumbled the famous face hiding behind the Spaghetti Bolognese costume.

The sixth series of the wild ITV guessing game returned to television screens on Saturday (January 4) night with 12 new characters waiting in the wings to take to the stage.

In a show shake-up, celebrity detectives Jonathan Ross, Mo Gillian, Maya Jama, Davina McCall and special guest Sir Mo Farah got the pick the running order.

Teeth, Snail, Tattoo, Kingfisher, Spaghetti Bolognese and Dressed Crab were all chosen to perform during the first show and their performances got viewers at home guessing which famous faces could be behind the outrageous outfits.

The Masked Singer UK viewers are convinced they’ve rumbled the famous face hiding behind the Spaghetti Bolognese costume

After being picked by Sir Mo, Spag Bol took to the stage to belt out a rendition of Geri Halliwell’s hit Look at Me but before they took belted out the track, a VT played revealing some clues about their true identity.

As Spag Bol dropped various hints, Davina could be heard saying “not really Italian, right?” with Sir Mo agreeing: “Putting an accent on.” The character revealed: “I haven’t always been known as Spag Bol, it has been shortened”, which left Maya wondering: “Maybe they’ve got a nickname”.

Spag Bol belted out a rendition of Geri Halliwell’s Look At Me
Spag Bol also let slip: “This dish is enjoyed around the world” in which Maya said: “Maybe world famous”. Later on in the video package, two tennis rackets could be seen laid on a table alongside five tennis balls with 06:00 printed on them.

The character also mentioned: “hopelessly devoted” which Jonathan pointed out is from the musical movie, Grease. After Spag Bol’s performance, host Joel Dommett turned to the panel to find out who they think is behind the mask.

Jonathan guessed presenter Anika Rice, Sir Mo predicted tennis player Emma Raducanu, Davina suggested Julia Bradbury, Mo wondered if Sapg Bol could be Welsh Hollywood beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones and Maya guessed Judy Murray, mother of tennis player Andy Murray.

Fans are convinced they know who Spag Bol isSpag Bol then shared a riddle, which was: “Spag Bol is delicious it has to be said, but spilled on the floor it can stain it quite red.” The clue left Mo wondering if the comedian Ruby Waz was in the costume.

However, viewers at home at home are convinced they know exactly who is behind the mask. While some think it could be Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway, others think it could be Julia, like Davina said.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan penned: “Spag bol is Julia Bradbury #MaskedSingerUK.” Another added: “Spag Bol is Julia Bradbury in the #MaskedSingerUK The Greek boots, walking boots and stick and the early start. Not sure about the tennis connection though.” Someone else agreed: “Julia Bradbury is a good shout. She likes walking and there were walking boots as a clue #MaskedSingerUK.”

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice has opened up to the Sunday Mirror about the year he endured after being accused of bullying Amanda Abbington

Giovanni Pernice feared he would lose everything in the Strictly Come Dancing bullying row, he has revealed.

As he returns to our screens tonight for the first time since leaving the hit show last summer, the Italian dancer admits there were “dark times”. The BBC launched an investigation after Giovanni’s dance partner Amanda Abbington, 50, quit Strictly in October 2023 and accused him of being “abusive” towards her. The probe upheld six of 17 complaints against Giovanni, 34 – but not did not find he had physically abused the Sherlock actress. The pro dancer insists he was a “strict teacher” but was never a bully.And now the star is determined to put the events of the last year behind him as he makes a fresh start – including appearing on Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted tonight with fellow Strictly pro Kai Widdrington, 29. Giovanni told the Sunday Mirror: “I’m not going to lie, there were dark moments in terms of, you know, this is finished, this is the end of my career. That was one of my down moments. Sorry for my language but 2024 can f**k off. I’ve been looking forward to seeing the back of it.”

“Every time she came out with another interview I was always maintaining a calm inside. Trust me, it wasn’t easy, there were dark times. But I know what I did – that kept me calm, because I knew the truth from the beginning. I was expecting and waiting that all of this would finish and come back with the results that I wanted it to be. I know what the truth is, I know who I am, so you just wait and move on with life.”

Gio faced a BBC probe after his 2023 Strictly partner accused him of bullying – which he vehemently denied ( 
Image:
BBC)
The experience, he believes, has made him stronger. He says: “After last year where everything happened, I decided to take life day by day because you never know what is going to happen, things can change in a moment. And then after being down there is only one way up. And you come back fighting and even stronger, you try to find better solutions.” In 2021, two series before the bullying row broke out, Giovanni won the 19th series of Strictly with EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, now 30.

His career, he admits, owes a lot to his strong competitive edge. He says: “Competitiveness, you know, it’s what I do for a living. I was born that way, so I’ve got that competitiveness in me and nobody will ever take it out of me, whatever I do. If I’m on the run, if I’m on a dance show, if I playing cards with my mates, you know, if there is a competition, I’m there. That’s what keeps me going when I face any adversity in my life. I have to think positively. Since the age of seven I started to compete in dance competitions. Everything I do, I always find a solution or a way to make it work. I just think I am built that way. I built myself that way.”

And he is taking that that competitiveness into Celebrity Hunted, in which pairs of stars go on the run and try to evade a team of ex-cops working to track them down.

Gio and Stricty pro Kai Widdrington partner up for the new series of Celebrity Hunted ( 
Image:
Channel 4)
Other celebrities taking part in the series include Loose Women’s Denise Welch, 66, and her husband Lincoln Townley, 52, pop star Duncan James, 46, and model Christine McGuinness, 36, podcasters David “Sideman” Whitely, 33, and Zeze Millz, 35, soap actresses Danielle Harold, 32, and Kimberly Hart-Simpson, 38, and news anchors Simon McCoy, 63, and Lucrezia Millarini, 48.

Giovanni says: “It’s exciting to be back on British TV, it’s been a while. I took it very, very serious – that’s what I do. I took everything very serious and that, you know, ends up to be my problem in general.”

Viewers will also get to see his cheeky side when he decides to take the fight to the Hunters by personally delivering a pizza to their HQ. He reveals: “As always, I was making history! I said, ‘What has never happened in all these series of Hunted?’ And no one has ever turned up at their door. It’s never happened before, something like this. I was like, ‘I want to be memorable. So let’s go to their place for once’. So I had a special pizza made up and delivered it myself to their place with a note. That was so much fun. I can’t wait to see how they reacted to that.”

After being crowned champion in the Italian version of Strictly in December – and falling for his dance partner, singer and actress Bianca Guaccero, 43, in the process – Giovanni’s fortunes are certainly looking up. As well as Hunted, he is off on a UK tour – and is excited to get back in front of a live crowd.

Gio kisses girlfriend Bianca after winning the Italian version on Strictly ( 
Image:
Maurizio D’Avanzo/MDPhoto/ipa-agency.net/REX/Shutterstock)He says: “I can’t wait to reconnect with Mother Nature, which is my UK fan base, because they’ve been supportive all the way through and I’ve missed them.” The shows will be bittersweet for both Giovanni and his fans – as he reveals they will be his last. He says: “It’s going to be so emotional when I get back on stage in front of them again, and even more emotion is the fact that this is my last tour. I need a break, darling. I’m 35 years old. I’ve been doing this for 10 years.”

Considering his next moves away from the dance floor, Giovanni is looking to become an actor. He says: “That’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but obviously English is not my first language, so we have to see. I need to go to English school first of all to learn English properly. And I like to sing too, so maybe some singing lesson to improve my singing.”

* Celebrity Hunted starts tonight at 9pm on Channel 4. Gio’s tour, The Last Dance, opens January 20 and plays around the country – for tickets, go to Giovannipernice.com

Craig Revel Horwood, who is the longest-serving judge on Strictly, celebrates his milestone birthday on Saturday

Craig Revel Horwood has been hailed “warm and witty” by fellow Strictly Come Dancing judges as he turned 60. The Australia-born choreographer, who has been a Strictly judge since 2004, is celebrating his milestone birthday.

In an Instagram tribute, judge Motsi Mabuse gushed: “Happy 60th birthday to one of the most fabulous, inspiring, and unforgettable people I know! On this milestone, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible impact you’ve had-not just on Strictly , but in my life personally.” She credited Revel Horwood’s kindness for making her Strictly debut in 2019 “an absolute joy”. “You welcomed me with open arms, and I will never forget how supported and seen you made me feel during those first moments,” Mabuse added.

His Strictly co-stars wished him a happy birthday ( 
Image:
BBC/Rob Parfitt)
“Over the years, I have come to treasure this (heart emojis), from our laughter-filled conversations to our shared love to Banter, you’ve shown me that beneath your legendary sharp wit is a kind, generous, and truly remarkable soul. I feel so lucky to share this journey with you and to celebrate you today.”

Former Strictly Come Dancing professional-turned-judge Anton Du Beke shared a spooky photo of himself and Craig Revel Horwood dressed as the infamous Grady twins from the 1980 horror classic The Shining, along with a heartfelt birthday message. Du Beke penned on Instagram: “Happy 60th birthday to the wonderful @craigrevel! My sister from another mister. Have a fabulous day my love! #60today.”

Craig is one of Strictly’s beloved judges ( 
Image:
Guy Levy/BBC/PA)

Shirley Ballas, Revel Horwood, Du Beke, and Mabuse are set to embark on the Strictly live tour later this month. Recently, Revel Horwood revealed to Radio Times that he plans to publish a book featuring all the negative comments and death threats he’s received over the years, aiming to “shame them”. He also discussed how he’s transformed his judging style from being “really harsh” to a more constructive approach, akin to a teacher rather than a judge.

Revel Horwood admitted that he used to be very direct with celebrities, but now opts to “wrap the truth in a nice way”. Throughout his career, he has appeared in numerous productions and pantomimes, including playing the role of Miss Hannigan in the touring production of Annie, and directing and choreographing the UK tour of the musical Sister Act.

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice has revealed to the Sunday Mirror that he’s considering a huge career change away from the dancefloor

Giovanni Pernice has revealed he’s keen to step away from the dancefloor for another career.

The professional dancer was axed by BBC Strictly Come Dancing bosses last year following allegations that he was “unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean” towards actress Amanda Abbington. He denied all of the claims. But a year on, Giovanni has reflected on the claims which saw him head into a “dark time.”

Now though, it looks as though the glitterballs and dancefloors could be cast to the back of his mind as he hopes to turn his hand to acting. He exclusively told the Sunday Mirror: “That’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but obviously English is not my first language, so we have to see. I need to go to English school first of all to learn English properly.

“And I like to sing too, so maybe some singing lesson to improve my singing.” But it won’t be happening any time soon – instead, Giovanni is taking part in Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted. He’ll appear on the show alongside Loose Women’s Denise Welch, 66, and her husband Lincoln Townley, 52, pop star Duncan James, 46, and model Christine McGuinness, 36, podcasters David “Sideman” Whitely, 33, and Zeze Millz, 35, soap actresses Danielle Harold, 32, and Kimberly Hart-Simpson, 38, and news anchors Simon McCoy, 63, and Lucrezia Millarini, 48.

Giovanni Pernice has a crafty plan up his sleeve ( 
Image:
Instagram/giovannipernice)

He could be set to turn his back on dancing ( 
Image:
PA)

Giovanni says: “It’s exciting to be back on British TV, it’s been a while. I took it very, very serious – that’s what I do. I took everything very serious and that, you know, ends up to be my problem in general.” Viewers will also get to see his cheeky side when he decides to take the fight to the Hunters by personally delivering a pizza to their HQ.

He reveals: “As always, I was making history! I said, ‘What has never happened in all these series of Hunted?’ And no one has ever turned up at their door. It’s never happened before, something like this. I was like, ‘I want to be memorable. So let’s go to their place for once’. So I had a special pizza made up and delivered it myself to their place with a note. That was so much fun. I can’t wait to see how they reacted to that.”

As well as Hunted, he is off on a UK tour – and is excited to get back in front of a live crowd. He says: “I can’t wait to reconnect with Mother Nature, which is my UK fan base, because they’ve been supportive all the way through and I’ve missed them.” The shows will be bittersweet for both Giovanni and his fans – as he reveals they will be his last.

He says: “It’s going to be so emotional when I get back on stage in front of them again, and even more emotion is the fact that this is my last tour. I need a break, darling. I’m 35 years old. I’ve been doing this for 10 years.”

Loose Women panellist Nadia Sawalha said that Gregg Wallace proved he ‘is the problem’ in his torrent of social media posts after he stepped back from BBC series MasterChef last week

TV star Nadia Sawalha, 60, has blasted Gregg Wallace for his behaviour online after he stepped back from MasterChef last week.

Loose Women star Nadia won Celebrity MasterChef in 2007, and admitted that she didn’t have any bad experiences with Gregg, 60, during her time on the show. However, the ITV presenter shared that she’d lost patience with Gregg due to his Instagram Stories, saying she was “horrified” by how he’d reacted to the accusations made against him.

Last week, Gregg was put under investigation due to historic complaints that he’d made “sexual comments” on set of MasterChef, with Newsnight host Kirsty Wark is among 13 people who have accused the MasterChef presenter of making inappropriate sexual comments or jokes.

The BBC host stepped down from MasterChef amid the investigation, but responded to the accusations with a series of posts on Instagram. He apologised this morning for claiming complaints about his behaviour came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”, adding he will now “take some time out”.

Nadia won Celebrity MasterChef in 2007, and said she hadn’t heard about any of the accusations against Gregg ( 
Image:
Des Willie)

“When I saw his Stories at the weekend, to be quite frank, I was horrified by what he said,” Nadia revealed on the YouTube channel she shares with her husband Mark Adderley. Mark added that during his own time knowing Gregg: “I found him incredibly agreeable, very professional, just got on with it. You know, he had that sort of geezer chat and that geezer humour, but there was nothing untoward in anything that he said to me…” while explaining that he and Nadia “Hadn’t heard anything about him” before the fallout last week.

“I wasn’t… not surprised. I’d just never seen that or heard that myself. But I’m never surprised when I hear stories…” Nadia said of the claims. She added: “I’m 100%… I always believe – and maybe that’s wrong of me – I believe women first. You know, I don’t care, I just do. Because I know the way the world is tipped. But, in a court of law you are innocent until proven guilty… but with these numbers…”

Mark then jokingly said in reference to one of Gregg’s controversial posts: “But my God, he’s gone for middle-aged, middle class women!” “Everything about what Gregg says in all these Stories is the problem. It’s the problem that we have,” Nadia responded. “First and foremost, you get to an age where you think, do you know what? I don’t have to take this s**t anymore. You get to a position where you realise you don’t have to laugh at joked that leave you feeling uncomfortable. You don’t have to just pretend something didn’t happen just to keep the peace.”

She added: “And actually, Gregg, what I feel sad about, is that he has no idea how those younger women actually feel… I’m sorry to say, men of this age, you’ve got no idea what we are thinking about you really. You’ve got no idea. You think that you’re striding through life and everybody thinks you are rather nice.

“Well guess what? Most of them are going home going ‘Oh God that guy! I just can’t take one more of those jokes. I just can’t take one more of him just standing a bit too close.’ We have two daughters, 21 and 17 and when they come home after having to put up with lude comments and creepiness in clubs, it’s always people, men of a certain age and it’s THAT age!”

Gregg, who faces various allegations including making “inappropriate sexual jokes”, posted a video on his Instagram stories today to issue an apology. He said: “I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people.

“I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it. It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out, now while this investigation is under way. I hope you understand and I do hope you will accept this apology.”

Coleen Rooney has revealed she covered herself in booze as she and her children headed to Alexandra Palace to watch Luke Littler be crowned the World Darts Champion on Friday

Coleen Rooney was left screaming after heading to Alexandra Palace to watch Luke Littler.

The businesswoman and TV star ventured to the iconic venue with her sons to watch the 17-year-old take part in the World Darts Championship against former champ Michael van Gerwen on Friday. Littler sealed victory with an impressive 7-3 defeat against van Gerwen and was later crowned the youngest world title winner, knocking van Gerwen off the stand having previously held the record at 24.

But while Coleen, 38, found herself getting stuck in with the fans who had packed inside Ally Pally, she revealed that it also came with its downfall. Coleen was seen with her son Klay, 11, who was overjoyed by Littler’s win and even posed for a selfie with the star.

Her husband, former Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne wasn’t in attendance but took to his own social media to share a snap of Klay and Littler together as he branded his success “unbelievable”. But Coleen shared a video from inside the venue, recorded at the moment Littler bagged the top prize.

Coleen revealed to fans that she had been screaming after drenching herself in booze ( 
Image:
Ian Stephen/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)

She and those around her instantly burst into cheers as they begun chanting for Luke. However, the star who opted for a beige t-shirt, with blue and white sleeves was left somewhat shocked during the crowd reaction. In the video shared with her followers, the Liverpudlian could be heard screaming.

“Amazing night… Kids were buzzing! Congratulations @lukethenukelittler,” she penned. Coleen added: “That’s me screaming getting beer all over me,” alongside a laughing face as the camera panned to her son, Kit, eight, who looked extremely confused by her screams.

Meanwhile, Wayne’s snap of Klay saw him posing with Luke, who had already signed shirts for the Rooney children. Captioning his upload, Wayne wrote: “What a night for the lads. Congratulations @lukethenukelittler. Unbelievable,” alongside clapping, raised hands and a dart board emoji.

Her son, Kit, eight, looked very confused by her screaming ( 
Image:
Social Media)

Luke has been crowned the world champion ( 
Image:
AP)
After lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy, Littler was seen hugging his relatives in the audience, including his parents Anthony and Lisa, as well as his brother Leon, who turned 25 over the weekend. As the family left Ally Pally, Littler was seen handing his brother wads of cash as they embarked on the journey home, with Leon planting a kiss on the head of his brother.

Shortly after, a man was seen carrying a black flight case out of the venue which is believed to have been Luke’s trophy. But it wasn’t just a whopping £500,000 and the trophy that Luke bagged. He also won the Paddy Power Ballon d’Art honour for throwing the most 180’s during the tournament

But while Luke may be under the age of 18 so can’t celebrate at the pub – it’s said he’s already started thinking of his ways to enjoy his prizes. Can’t do much with him, can you! He’s 17,” his brother Leon told The Sun. “He’ll go out, chill on his game (Xbox), maybe order some food. And I’ll do the celebrating for him.”

The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh was gobsmacked when he realised one of the players had made TV history during the tense final round of the game show

Bradley Walsh was left stunned on The Chase as a contestant made history on the ITV quiz show. Despite not taking home any winnings, the host praised the player’s impressive performance, saying, “how proud” his family must be.

George from Tonbridge, Willis from Liverpool, Margaret from St Neots, and Aaban from Rotherham joined forces in hopes of snagging a cash prize. They faced off against Chaser Shaun Wallace to showcase their trivia prowess but three members of the team were quickly caught, missing out on the final chase and their share of the money – leaving 19-year-old Aaban to bring home the win alone.

With the teenager left standing alone, he bravely opted for a high-stakes £100,000 offer. In a remarkable turn, he aced the head-to-head round, earning a shot at the grand prize solo.

The young player raised the cash pot to £100,000 alone ( 
Image:
(Image: ITV))
However, the final chase proved too much, with Aaban only managing seven correct answers. The Chaser, needing a mere eight to win, caught him within a minute, reports the Express. Although Aaban left empty-handed, Bradley was full of admiration, telling him: “You’re 19, you’re on your own and you just beat a MasterMind champion. Your family will be dead proud of you.”

Chaser Shaun also commended him, saying: “You’re still a winner. To make TV history as the youngest player to get to the final with that type of money, you should be proud.”

The Chase often divides viewers with its questions – and answers ( 
Image:
ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Aaban remained high-spirited despite the loss, confessing his contentment by saying: “I’m really proud. I didn’t think I’d get this far so to come here and make it to the final with £100,000. I don’t mind not winning. This is enough.”

Show host Brad took a moment to comfort him further, insisting: “It’s not your fault. You are 19 and there were so many questions outside your age remit.” And considering his team’s departure, he added encouragingly: “You needed a full house, but you’re going to go on to do great things.”

Fans of the daytime quiz show were left less than impressed recently when a celebrity was awarded a dubious correct answer. In a celebrity Christmas special, Bradley asked Pointless maestro Alexander Armstrong a question and his answer contributed to the whopping £116,000 win for charity. In response to: “”What name is given to a pointed hand tool used for making holes in the ground for seeds or young plants? A: Dibble, B: Nibble, or C: Quibble”, Alexander chose option A, which was deemed correct.

However some viewers objected to the win, saying the actual name of the tool is a “dibber”. According to Gardeners’ World, a dibber is “an ideal tool for gardening,” defining it as a long pointed stick for poking uniform holes in the soil.