A former Tipping Point winner has lifted the lid on what host Ben Shephard is really like once the cameras stop rolling. The This Morning presenter, 51, has fronted the popular ITV quiz show since its debut in 2012.
The show sees players answer questions to drop counters into a large coin-pushing arcade machine, each counter worth £50 and the jackpot counter valued at £10,000.
Ellie Millar's experience
TikTok star Ellie Millar, who has 2.9 million followers, appeared on the show in 2022 and left with some winnings. She shared behind-the-scenes secrets from her October 2022 stint, filmed in May of that year.
She recalled: “[When] it was time to go to the stage and to meet Ben Shepherd. He was just talking to the producer and was like, 'Hi guys, are you okay?' He was so, so lovely and I was a bit starstruck. The whole day was such a blur, even thinking back on it now there's only specific things I remember.”
Ellie triumphed over both fellow competitors and played alone in the final round for up to £10,000. She admitted she played “terribly” and got her prize fund to just £2,100. When Shephard asked if she wanted to keep playing for £10,000, she chose to accept the money instead of risking it.
After the show
She said: “After the show Ben was like, ‘Would you like to get a photo?' So yeah, I was chatting to Ben saying this money can get me and my boyfriend to Bali and I left. The producers made me sign this contract to say when I would get the money, and that was it.”
She confessed: “The only rules I was told is that I couldn't disclose to anyone what the outcome of the show was. I did tell my mum though, I'm not going to lie.”
Ben Shephard's salary and home
While Shephard’s Tipping Point salary is not publicly disclosed, he reportedly earns as much as £550,000 for co-hosting This Morning alongside Cat Deeley.
Last year, Shephard bought an historic 10-bedroom house for £3.375 million in the London borough of Richmond. He lives there with his garden designer wife Annie and their two teenage sons. The family sold their previous home nearby for £5.3 million, having bought it for £2.95 million in 2016.
The new home, in a riverside conservation area, has large gardens wrapping around three sides of the house. Built in the 18th century, it covers almost 6,000 square feet over two floors and boasts river views.
