Who Wants to be a Millionaire? contestant Andrew Townsley has revealed what he plans to do with his big win, having left with £500,000 in last night's episode of the long-running game show.
Townsley, 53, gripped the nation this week after he reached the famed million-pound question. Had he won, would have made him the first person in 14 years (and only the sixth person ever) to bag the top prize on the ITV programme.
The retired doctor from Glasgow was asked which race had been held first out of Le Mans 24 Hours, Monaco Grand Prix, Indy 500 and Isle Of Man TT.
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Townsley phoned his friend Elsa, but sadly she couldn't help him out, meaning that, in the end, he decided to settle for the very respectable sum of £500,000, rather than take the risk.
But despite not quite making it to the jackpot, it sounds like the contestant is still more than happy with his prize.
Appearing on This Morning via video link today, Townsley - who has progressive MS and is currently housebound - explained what he plans to do with his winnings.
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He told hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: "Once the world recovers, I can have some thoughts about. But, with the MS, I am restricted and stuck in the house until this time next year at the earliest.
"As I said to Jeremy, we'd love to visit Niagara Falls. It's also another chance to see some relatives in Australia and take in some cricket when we are there."
When asked if his illness had progressed since the episode's filming in December of last year, he said: "It's difficult to tell. Some people with MS have relapses where they get much worse. I have progressive MS so they are small deteriorations over time. I have been living with this for over 20 years and gone from a rugby player to someone who is quite restricted."
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The most recent winner of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? was retired civil servant Ingram Wilcox, who won the £1m prize in 2006.
Before him, other contestants to win the prize include Pat Gibson in 2004, David Edwards and Robert Brydges in 2001, and the first contestant to ever win it was Judith Keppel back in 2000. Keppel even went on to feature on BBC Two's quiz show Eggheads, having appeared on the programme since 2003.
Of course, the most well-known contestant - especially since ITV drama Quiz - was ex British Army major Charles Ingram who won the £1 million in 2001, but was accused and found guilty of cheating.
Featured Image Credit: ITVTopics: Entertainment, TV and Film, UK Entertainment
