ITV Golden Balls contestant who dramatically stole £100k prize has very different life to rival co-star 15 years on

The shock moment Sarah decided to steal from Stephen
-Credit:YouTube


A reality show contestant who swindled her co-star out of a hefty cash prize is now living the life of luxury in rural Lancashire, while her former competitor struggles to make ends meet.

Golden Balls, a high-stakes game show that aired on ITV from 2007 to 2009, allowed contestants to either share or steal the grand prize. Viewers were left in shock 15 years ago when Sarah Mooney chose to snatch the winnings from fellow contestant Stephen Bushnall.

Adding insult to injury, Stephen's humiliating defeat has since become an internet meme, often shared online as a reminder of his loss. The two contestants' lives have taken drastically different turns since the show.

ADVERTISEMENT

READ MORE: Blackpool dad is 'forced to sleep in a camper van to escape rowdy Airbnb'

READ MORE: Southport triple murderer Axel Rudakubana refuses to leave prison cell as judge corrects sentencing error

Sarah was able to use her winnings to improve her lifestyle significantly, while Stephen has recently admitted to financial difficulties. The Daily Mail reported that the pay out gave Sarah a chance to change her life.

She was just 22-years-old when she appeared on the show alongside Stephen, with Sarah choosing to take all the money. It appears that Sarah has used her gameshow winnings to purchase a huge £250,000 five bedroom home in the Lancashire countryside.

The property is said to be nearby the famous landmark, Pendle Hill. Meanwhile, Stephen said in an interview last year: "£50,000 at the time would have changed my life.

Stephen revealed last year that he has been struggling since his game show defeat
Stephen revealed last year that he has been struggling since his game show defeat -Credit:sbushnall73uk/Instagram

"I was in a lot of debt then and I still am now. Like a lot of people, I am struggling. Life is tough.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I was absolutely devastated when it happened. I was in a state of pure shock and broke down in tears.

"It would have been amazing. It would have sorted out a lot of problems and I played the game fairly. And right now I am £20,000 in debt through owed money and credit card bills.

"The cost of living crisis has been very tough. But, if I had my chance again, I would still pick to share the money.

"That is the sort of person I am and always will be.

He went on to slam the decision of other players for choosing to steal the prize instead of split it, arguing it was a cruel rule and not something he would do himself. Golden Balls, presented by comedian Jasper Carrott, ran for six seasons and 323 episodes.

Sarah Mooney chose to steal the money
Sarah Mooney chose to steal the money

Game play showed contestants being handed a selection of balls that contain cash prizes ranging from £10 to £75,000. The first round of the game would see four contestants face off - and some of the balls handed out would contain ‘killer’ messages which would knock them out of the contest if they opened a ball to find this inside.

ADVERTISEMENT

The players would look inside their ball and then choose to tell the truth about them or lie - and the other contestants had to figure out who was lying and try to avoid any ‘killer’ balls that were win the mix.

Once one contestant is knocked out, the game advanced to a second round where the same game of wits and deception continues, but with more balls. Once the second player is knocked out, the remaining two then combine the value of their money balls which is then up for grabs.

In a final round, the two players can chose to split the prize or steal it. The show was criticised at the time of airing with psychologists claiming it encouraged people to be deceptive. There series struggled to find an audience, however, pulling in between one and two million viewers and it was ultimately axed after two and a half years.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter LANCS LIVE NEWS and get all the biggest stories from across Lancashire direct to your inbox