A Deal Or No Deal contestant has opened up about her time on the ITV game show and the stress she still feels watching it back
A Deal Or No Deal contestant has opened up about her time on the ITV game show and the stress she still feels watching it back
Monde Mwitumwa TV and Celebrity Reporter
09:27, 17 Feb 2026Updated 09:30, 17 Feb 2026
A Deal or No Deal contestant has shared how her appearance on the show left her feeling physically unwell, and described the stress of watching the episode again.
Helen McPherson featured on the ITV hit show last month and it was a good outcome as she ultimately left with a £19,000 prize. Although the episode aired in January, filming had taken place 14 months prior.
After such a lengthy wait, Helen revealed the anxiety she experienced even when watching other contestants’ games. In a post on her TikTok page, she confessed: “The funny thing is, watching it back now, I’m literally chewing chunks out of my hand.
“My husband is like, “Hels, you were there, you know what happened’ but, you forget so much of it and I feel the emotions as intensely as I did when I was there.
“And when I came back, I was physically unwell from the adrenaline crash and then I was okay again and now I’m reliving it all. My cortisol levels are up [high] every time I watch someone else’s game. Even though I was there and know how it went, there’s so much of it that I don’t remember.”
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Prior to her game beginning on-screen, Helen informed the show’s host Stephen Mulhern that she hoped to spend any potential winnings on a new vehicle and family excursions.
Contestants on the ITV game show have the chance to win up to £100,000 in prize money. In a recent episode, viewers were left ‘gutted’ after a player lost £100k due to a disastrous mistake.
Sonia appeared in the studio, attempting to secure some cash – and successfully opened all the blue boxes. As the episode drew to a close, she had £10,000, £5,000 and £100,000 remaining to discover.
However, to be cautious, she opted to accept the banker’s offer of £22,670, meaning she could proceed no further in the game show. She did, however, get to discover what was in her box – £100,000 – which left her heartbroken. Stephen told her: ‘Sonia, you have been brilliant by the way, you really have.’
The banker called and told the host that if she had gone on for another box, he would have offered £52,670, which left the audience gasp in shock.
Upon discovering her box held the top prize of £100,000, Sonia’s response was a simple, “Aw man.” Stephen couldn’t help but comment, “It’s quite unbelievable, you knew you had it.”
Many rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share how gutted they were for Sonia.
“Who would have thought opening a couple of shoe boxes would be so dramatic! #DealOrNoDeal,” one user posted. “Still a huge amount to win, but yikes missing out on the £100k – gutted for her,” another shared.
“Wow! Sonia played an incredible game….but she went against her gut feeling! ! £52,670 at the 2 box stage. £100,000 in her box,”Someone else commented.
The revamped Deal Or No Deal marks a return of the popular game show, which initially aired on Channel 4 from 2005 to 2016 with Noel Edmonds as host and contestants competing for up to £250,000.
You can catch up on Deal Or No Deal on ITVX
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