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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

ITV Tipping Point host Ben Shephard pays tribute after heartbreaking contestant death as episode airs

Ben Shephard took to social media to pay tribute to a Tipping Point contestant who passed away before their appearance on the show. The ITV game show's host shared the message with his followers before the latest episode aired on Wednesday (November 2).

Sharing a photo of himself standing next to contestant Rav in the studio, he wrote: "Since we recorded today’s Tipping Point, Rav’s family have shared the sad news of his passing."

The 47-year-old, who also presents on Good Morning Britain, added: "I loved playing alongside him, and along with all the Tipping Point team we are sending his family and friends all our love."

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Fans of Tipping Point were quick to respond to Ben's post and offer their condolences while some said they had been watching the episode and was willing him to win and hadn't seen Ben's tweet.

@robin101962 replied: "Always sad to hear of someone passing between the record & the airing. Am sure that all of us on the #TippingPoint feed send our condolences to his family & friends." @missmayo1984 commented: "Watching this and thinking what a genuinely lovely gent. And then I saw this. So so sad. My heart goes out to his family."

@g1namck3nzie echoed: "That’s really sad, just watched and thought he was a lovely chap. Rest in peace." @AndreaMarie238 posted: "How very sad he seemed such a lovely man, sending love and condolences to Rav's family." @hypergriffa added: "Oh no so sad was watching tonight, lovely man he seemed. Rip."

The episode of Tipping Point saw Rav make it all the way to the final. He managed to finish the first round on top, ending the round with £1,100 in the bank and in the semi-final, he managed to see off fellow contestant Hayley by ending the round with £1,650.

During the final round, Rav couldn’t quite get the machine to deposit the £10k jackpot coin. However, he did manage to walk away from the competition with £2,750. When finishing up the show, he told Ben: "Absolutely fantastic, it’s been a great day."

Following news of Rav’s death, a statement was also released on the official Tipping Point Facebook page. "After the recording of today’s program, we spoke with Rav’s family who shared the sad news of his passing," it read. "Everyone at Tipping Point would like to extend their sincerest sympathies."

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