It was the moment any celeb must dread. Having put his neck on the line during a celebrity edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, by first winning £500,000 then gambling it all on the £1 million question, interior design expert Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen got the answer wrong.
The former Changing Rooms star, who was appearing on the show with his wife Jackie to raise funds for a children's hospice, had confidently responded to the question: "Translated from the Latin, what is the motto of the United States?".
"It's 'In God We Trust', he replied. But although the show's host Chris Tarrant initially thought Laurence's answer was correct, the computer ruled against it, reducing Jackie and Laurence's winnings to a mere £32,000. While the US motto has indeed been "In God We Trust" since the 1950s, it was changed from the Founding Fathers' original, which reads "Out Of Many, One".
Despite the apparent disaster the pair have been offered a reprieve, after the show's producers decided to give them a second chance. Explaining that "we are not satisfied that the question that went out on the game meets out usual high standards of fair play," a spokesperson for the programme revealed Laurence and Jackie have been invited back to resume the game with a new question at the same level.
It was like being "reprieved from the firing squad," the couple says.
Whether they decide to gamble once more, or stick to their original £500,000 win, they will still be the most successful contestants to ever appear on the show, winning more for their chosen charity than any previous competitor.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
