The man who took home £99,000 on ITV gameshow The 1% Club kept his winnings under wraps from family and friends for a year.
Daniel O'Halloran beat the other 99 contestants on Lee Mack's gameshow The 1% Club but says the hardest part of it all was keeping the secret after filming. The 24-year-old was so excited by his winnings that he 'lost control of his body' after taking home the epic prize pot.
The 1% Club begins with 100 contestants who will compete to make it to the end and answer a final question only 1% of the country can get right, in hopes of winning up to £100,000.
Despite taking home the ultimate prize fund, Daniel didn't apply to the show himself - his mum sent his application in on his behalf. The Echo reports the most excruciating part of the process was keeping his winnings secret from his family afterwards.
He said: “It was very difficult, there were some moments I nearly blurted it out or my family would ask me and I couldn’t keep the smile on my face. I only told my grandma and a few friends.”
Daniel's entire family gathered around the TV on Saturday night to watch his appearance on the show, as he buzzed over their reactions. He said: “When they were watching it, they couldn’t believe I’d done it. It was the best thing to see.
"They were in total shock - they said some things you probably couldn’t print in the paper! They couldn’t believe I’d kept it secret.”
Daniel said: “I was quite confident in getting to the latter stages of the show, but I never in my wildest dreams imagined taking home that much money. I thought if I got to £10,000 with no money to fall back on, I’d take the £10,000 and wouldn't gamble."
While he was initially tempted to take the £10,000 and leave but after thinking about it went for the big option.
Describing his epic win, Daniel said: “I lost control of my body. I was running around celebrating on stage in total shock. I never thought I’d be standing there on the show, let alone winning it."
Daniel also thanked the whole show for the experience. He said: “All the other contestants were great and probably got me through it! Lee Mack was lovely too.”
Speaking of his winnings, he said: “I’ve got to be sensible, maybe look towards the house, pay the mortgage off. But I’ve got to enjoy it as well. I can’t take this for granted.”
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