In 2008, Golden Balls produced one of the most shocking moments of television when contestant Sarah stole over £100,000 from her rival Stephen.
The show, which aired from 2007 to 2009, saw contestants collect cash and bluff their way to the last round. In the final, the two contestants could choose to share or steal the money.
If both chose to steal the money, they would walk away with nothing and if they both split, they would halve the jackpot. But if one person stole and the other split, the contestant who stole would walk away with the whole lot - and that's exactly what happened to Stephen Bushnall.
READ MORE: Danniella Westbrook looks happy and healthy in fresh-faced new pic
Stephen competed on the show twice - first in 2007, before being brought back for a second go a year later. He chose to split both times and lost both times. But the second attempt saw him lose the most money ever stolen on the game show - an incredible £100,150.
The eye-watering six-figure sum was stolen by Sarah, who, Stephen says, never said a word to him after the show. Speaking to the Daily Star in a new interview, he said: "As soon as the show ended, I was literally head down in tears for 15, 20 minutes. I was devastated.
"I heard one woman shout from the audience, 'You f****** b****, I hope you f****** die in hell'. I heard that, and she got whisked straight off the stage. When I was in the dressing room Sarah was brought back out to do her end piece for the camera. Since then, she's never tried to contact me. She's never spoken to me."
Stephen added that he was later supported by host Jasper and the rest of the team, who took him out for a meal in commiseration for his loss. He said: "Jasper couldn't have been nicer. I ended up quite good friends with him after it; he invited me down to one of his shows.
"All the way during the night, I kept asking, 'How is Sarah? Is she okay, is she upset?' and Jasper kept saying, 'Why are you bothered about her?' But I can't change who I am. I just kept asking, 'Does she have people around her, is she being looked after?'
"At the end of the day, she played the game. I went with nothing and I left with nothing, but now she has to live with that decision. She's the one who is going to get the grief, and at that moment all I could think was, 'She’s going to get hounded for this, and is she okay?'"
Stephen explained that though the production team passed his details on to Sarah with his permission, she "never shared a penny" with him after her whopping win. Asked what would he say if he met Sarah now, Stephen said: "I'd just want to know why she stole. Why she didn't contact me after the show to at least split some of the money, if not half.
"I'd say, 'I hope you enjoyed the money. You stole it, you got it, I hope you put it to good use and didn't just squander it."
He added: "If I went on again and got to the final, I’d still split. Because if you choose to steal, the only thing you’re guaranteeing is the other person gets nothing. You’re not guaranteeing you’d get anything.
"I know a lot of people are like, 'I’d steal every time!', but you want at least somebody to get some money. That’s just who I am."
Receive newsletters with the biggest and breaking TV and showbiz news by signing up here
