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Craig Charles still haunted by 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' disaster

Craig Charles during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in front of Buckingham Palace, London, on day four of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. Picture date: Sunday June 5, 2022.
Craig Charles says he still feels bad about his Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? loss. (PA)

Craig Charles has admitted he still feels haunted by losing tens of thousands of pounds for charity as a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?.

The Red Dwarf star is hosting a new series of Channel 4 gameshow Moneybags, which includes celebrity episodes, and said he could relate to one devastated star who will be seen losing a huge amount of cash.

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He took part in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Celebrity Special in 2021, but fumbled the £32,000 question and left with just £1,000 for his chosen charity, which he says he felt bad about for a long time afterwards.

Craig Charles presents Moneybags. (Channel 4)
Craig Charles presents Moneybags. (Channel 4)

Asked which Celebrity Moneybags contestants were the most competitive, he said: "They were all quite competitive. Natasha Hamilton is really competitive, she hates losing. Claire (Richards) from Steps, who we’ve established is only ever known as Claire from Steps, hates getting things wrong, she hates losing.

"They all wanted to win big for their charity. I can’t say who lost big, but someone lost BIG and was in tears, inconsolably crying."

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He sympathised: "You’re hundreds of thousands of pounds up and all of a sudden you’re bankrupt. I’ve been there myself; I did Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and I lost the £32,000 question and took home £1,000.

"No one prepared me for how bad I would feel for weeks, I would wake up in the night saying ‘I can’t believe I got that wrong, I can’t believe I didn’t want to phone a friend’. I can feel for all of them."

Natasha Hamilton and Greg Rutherford take part in Celebrity Moneybags. (Channel 4)
Natasha Hamilton and Greg Rutherford take part in Celebrity Moneybags. (Channel 4)

The Celebrity Moneybags contestants also include Mr Motivator, Greg Rutherford, Nina Wadia, Catherine Tyldesley, Tom Read Wilson, Kate Robbins, Dane Baptiste and Toyah Willcox.

A week of celebrity special episodes, beginning in August, kicks off a second full series of the main Moneybags show which will air on Channel 4 from 5pm on weekdays.

Celebrity Moneybags begins on 15 August and Moneybags follows on 22 August.

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