A nurse has told how Rangers legend Ally McCoist changed her life by helping her win £82,000 on a TV game show.
Helen Mason made history on BBC’s The Wheel when she became the first person to win the jackpot prize by answering just one question correctly.
The game show, hosted by Michael McIntyre, sees contestants, selected by chance, compete for an opportunity to win a cash prize with help from celebrity guests. Helen could have gone home empty-handed but scooped the huge jackpot after McCoist guided her to the right answer.
The 24-year-old, from Edinburgh, praised McCoist for changing her life and admits she’ll now follow Rangers. She also invited the Ibrox icon out for a pint to thank him.
McCoist, 60, has agreed, saying: “Definitely. I’m taking you up on that offer. You deserve it. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person. I was still a bag of nerves watching it. P.S. my boys walked out the room at my dancing.”
Helen is spending her winnings furnishing her new flat and plans to take her mum to Canada to visit family. The oncology nurse said: “I’m still on cloud nine.
“After the show, I messaged Ally on Instagram thanking him for changing my life. Before the show, my family and I were more rugby fans than football but I’m certainly a football fan now and my heart will forever lie with Rangers.
“My boyfriend and I had just bought a flat, so it’s amazing to be able to decorate it the way we want to and make it a home. My family are my biggest supporters and I can treat them to something special.
“I’m also going to be taking my mum to Toronto next year to see family who we’ve not seen in years. My grandma Betty passed away two years ago and she used to go out to Canada. It’s just such a fortunate position to be in and I’m so grateful to Ally.”
Helen was one of the final three contestants to be “spun in” on the show but was shut down on her first question after landing on Bake Off star John Whaite. Helen was then spun back into the wheel at the end of the show and handed the opportunity to either win £20,500 if she enlisted the help of Ed Balls or £82,000 if she opted for McCoist.
She chose Super Ally and the pair were asked to identify in which modern-day country the ancient city of Troy is located. Helen sided towards Egypt but McCoist stepped in and coaxed her into choosing Turkey. He had come last on the leaderboard but came through for Helen.
She said: “I thought, ‘I’ve come with nothing and I could go with nothing or I could go away with this big pot of money.’ So I decided to take a risk and go for it.
“I went with Ally because he is a Scot and we Scots stick together. When I won, it was nice to see him so delighted for me.”
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