A contestant on The Chase died just one month before an episode of the ITV game show was aired in which he won a staggering £100,000 jackpot.
Tim McCarthy, 64, was inspired to apply for the hit programme by his passion for general knowledge and friends and family who respected his ‘brilliant mind’.
He filmed it last October, but his loved ones were unaware of his success until the show aired at 5pm yesterday because he had not been allowed to share the results
And the former teacher from Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, never got to spend his winnings because his health deteriorated and could not even go on a holiday.
He died on July 19, but dozens of friends and family gathered in a local pub yesterday to watch his performance because he had wanted to keep everyone guessing.
His widow Rachel McCarthy – who said he had been ‘so excited’ when selected for the show – and three children were the only ones who knew of his victory in advance.
Mrs McCarthy told BBC News yesterday: ‘He liked to punch the air when he won on the horses and this was a punch-the-air moment. Tim was so scared they wouldn’t let him compete if they knew about his diagnosis. So he didn’t tell them.
‘It was a very narrow victory but he won. He was overjoyed when he won but we had to keep it secret – he beat The Chaser by a second with his fellow competitor. Sadly we never got to spend his £50,000 prize as his health deteriorated and we couldn’t even go on a holiday.’
Mr McCarthy also made headlines back in 2000 when he won £1,000 in a bet that his pupils at of Avondale High School in Stockport would score improved GCSE results, before sharing his winnings in a celebration for colleagues and students.
