A contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire lost the second largest sum in the show's history after taking a gamble on a question. Jen Essery Lillikakis, from Stratford, saw her potential winnings drop from £250,000 to £64,000 after an incorrect answer.
Ms Lillikakis, a product manager, had hoped to fund a honeymoon with her husband Kyri, who watched from the audience. She started strongly, correctly identifying the ukulele as the instrument synonymous with Hawaii since the 1880s to secure £64,000.
She used her 50/50 and Ask The Host lifelines to progress past the £125,000 and £250,000 questions. However, at the £500,000 question, she was asked: 'According to Guinness World Records, which of these has travelled at over 260 miles per hour during a competitive game or match? Tennis ball, ice hockey puck, badminton shuttlecock or table tennis ball.'
With her last lifeline, Phone A Friend, she called her father Chris, who did not know the answer. Host Jeremy Clarkson warned her that a wrong answer would cost her £186,000. She could have walked away with £250,000 but chose to guess, selecting ice hockey puck. The correct answer was badminton shuttlecock.
Clarkson exclaimed: 'Oh my god you have just lost £186,000! It is unbelievable you took a punt on that. You need a bravery award for that.' Ms Lillikakis remained philosophical, saying: 'Well, that’s fine. I have won £64,000.'
The episode aired just a week after retired IT analyst Roman Dubowski won the £1,000,000 jackpot on the ITV show.
