A father whose daughter lost out on £186,000 on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire after he didn’t know the answer on Phone A Friend says he tried to tell her to take the money, but was cut off.
Chris Essery, 66, praised Jen Essery Lillikakis for still taking home £64,000 – and says there is no bad feelings after he drew a blank when she called for a question worth £500,000.
He praised his daughter’s impressive efforts on the show, which saw her climb through the rounds but fall short on the 14th question asked by host Jeremy Clarkson.
He asked Jen: ‘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?’
In the show, aired last week, Jen used her sole remaining lifeline, Phone A Friend, to ask Chris, but he wasn’t sure of the answer.
Retired MRI radiographer Chris, speaking from his home in Wansted, East London, said: ‘I think she did really well and came away with a good amount of money.
‘At the time, when the money had been taken away, I think I actually said – after they’d stopped recording me – ‘take the money’, but that didn’t turn up on the show.
Chris Essery (pictured), 66, praised Jen Essery Lillikakis for still taking home £64,000 – and says there is no bad feelings after he drew a blank when she called for a question worth £500,000
Jen Essery Lillikakis became the second-biggest loser in show history after taking to the hot seat hoping to win big to pay for an exotic honeymoon with her newlywed husband Kyri
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host Jeremy Clarkson was stunned as a contestant lost out on £186,000 after a disastrous Phone A Friend attempt with her dad
‘They cut you off after 30 seconds. You kind of realise you could have said a bit more, but time was up.
‘There is no blame at all. Of course not – you throw the dice, don’t you. Everyone watching at home thinks they know what it’s like.’
Jen became the second-biggest loser in show history after hoping to win big to pay for a honeymoon with her newlywed husband Kyri, who was seated in the audience.
Knowing he had been picked as a lifeline, Chris said he was visited by a security worker from the show, who waited outside his home in his car before receiving the call.
He said: ‘You’re sat there with a security guy – he’s actually a taxi driver.
‘A taxi driver turns up and sits in his car until they get the call, then he comes in and says “you might get called for phone a friend”.
‘They tape the whole thing, so you’re kind of waiting really, because it takes forever until they get to the point where they’re going to call somebody.
‘So you’re just trying to relax while you’re sat there.
‘They are very, very pleasant – the staff on the phone are really brilliant. They talk you through it, keep you calm and keep it going
‘So I think that’s a big upside really, it is very professional people running it.
‘Jeremy himself was pretty brilliant – he was in a good mood and having a laugh.’
Chris revealed that Jen and her husband were last night enjoying a romantic getaway to Florence, where the pair could enjoy some of their winnings.
He added: ‘She said on the programme she’d use the prize money for a honeymoon – they got married at the end of August in Greece.
‘We are always very proud of her.’
