Golden Balls star who lost 100k in iconic 'split or steal' desperate to confront woman who 'played' him

The Golden Balls star who lost a whopping £100,000 in the unforgettable 'split or steal' segment is now desperate to confront the women who 'played' him.

It's hard to forget the moment Stephen Bushnall got absolutely snaked by fellow contestant Sarah in the final round of ITV's game show.

No doubt the betrayal is etched into your memories forever, but just in case you need reminding, here's a quick debrief.

Golden Balls was a show in which participants would attempt to find balls with big money prizes in a bid to rack up a final jackpot.

Each episode would then reach the climatic 'split or steal' moment where two contestants would decide whether to share the cash or nab it all for themselves.

Though it was a royal 'f**k you' to whoever you were playing with, you might be surprised to know that individual players on average chose to split just 53 percent of the time.

But arguably none of those who fit into the remaining 47 percent were quite so brutal the woman in this case.

Back in 2008, the pair had racked up a whopping £100,150 prize pot - a humungous amount of the show - and both agreed they'd be happy to go home with just over £50,000 each.

Sarah even pleaded with her fellow player to split, asking Stephen: "You're genuinely going to split the money?"

ITV

"Everyone who knew me would just be disgusted if I stole," she added. When Stephen reassured her there was no way he'd betray her, she said, "Promise."

The build-up only made what happened next a hundred times worse - in what is one of the most shocking moments in British TV history, Sarah opened up her Golden Ball to reveal the fateful word 'steal'.

That poor, poor man.

Though it's been years since the contestant plunged her knife deep into the back of Stephen, he's understandably still got questions.

In a new interview with the Daily Star, he said: "I would love to reunite with her - whether that's on camera or off - I would love to just have a sit down with her and ask her questions.

"I would ask her what she did with the money, hopefully, she didn't blow it all on holidays.

"I would ask her, 'Did she even think about splitting or was it a last-second choice to steal? Was there anything else I could've said or done which could've made her split?'

"I had a lot of hate for her as anyone would but that quickly went away, the feelings of hate - I had no problems meeting her face to face, whether it would be meeting as ourselves or part of a TV show."

What made the whole thing more difficult to understand is the fact that Sarah's deception led him to believe she was definitely going to split.

ITV

"There were bits that weren't put in the final show, just bits where she said, 'Let's stand both side-by-side next to Jasper and open the balls'," he added.

"She said we were going to go for a meal and celebrate after.

"I think we talked for 5-10 minutes on the show, but it was edited down to a minute or two, there was a lot of talking and we gave each other a big hug as we couldn't believe we were there and it was this much money.

"There were tears and I got quite emotional - and that is why she totally hook line and sinkered me because I was 100% certain she was going to split."

Stephen finished by saying: "She played the game and she won."

She may have won the money, but Stephen got to go home with dignity - I know I wouldn't be so forgiving.