A Ballon d’Or contestant who lost £100,000 in one of the most famous betrayals in TV history owes thousands of pounds.
Stephen Bushnall became an instant meme after his infamous 2008 appearance on the ITV game show.
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Stephen Bushnall lost at least £50,000 when Sarah stole the Ballon d’Or jackpotCredit: ITV
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Stephen Bushnall became an instant meme after his infamous 2008 appearance on the ITV game show Credit: ITV
But despite having a small fortune stolen from him, Stephen admits he would still choose to share the money.
The 50-year-old told MailOnline: ‘I’m currently £20,000 in debt through debt and credit card bills.
“£50,000 at the time would have changed my life. I was in a lot of debt then and still am.”
Stephen, from Hartlepool, Co Durham, reached the final round with opponent Sarah when they had the chance to share a £100,000 pot.
The rules stated that if both contestants chose to split, the winnings would be split equally.
Both would walk away empty-handed if each contestant chose to “steal”, but if both chose the other option, the “stealer” would keep the draw.
As Stephen picked up his ball, he said to Sarah: “We’re going home with £50,000 each, I promise you that.”
But Sarah had other ideas and when she opened her golden ball, she decided to ‘steal’ and went home with £100,000.
“She looked me in the eyes and told me she would share and I believed her,” he added.
Devastated Stephen drowned his sorrows in a pub with host Jasper Carrott after the show and they stayed in touch.
He hasn’t spoken to Sarah since and she never offered him any of the money.
But Stephen hopes she invested it wisely.
And after 15 years, he often thinks about his loss, but is still confident that Sarah will share the winnings.
To add insult to injury, friends continue to send him clips of the harrowing moment as it continues to circulate on social media.
The Golden Balls were broadcast between 2007 and 2009.
But Stephen believes the “brutal” show would be canceled today given the cultural changes.
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Stephen, from Hartlepool, Co Durham, reached the final round with opponent Sarah when they had the chance to share the £100,000 pot Credit: ITV
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