NHS managers to pay off mortgage after winning £1 million on Limitless Win

NHS workers who won £1 million on Ant And Dec’s Limitless Win with a question about two rival Britpop bands say they will “pay off our mortgage”.

The jackpot was taken home by Helen and Charlie during the ITV1 show, hosted by Geordie duo Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, on Saturday.

Charlie, an NHS finance manager – who likes general knowledge, and Helen, an NHS communications manager – who admits she is competitive, took on the quiz during the second episode of series three.

The husband and wife first met on a blind date after Charlie’s mother suggested the meeting.

Before winning, the couple said they wanted to spend the money on returning to Hawaii, where they went on a honeymoon, with their children.

Helen said the kids want a villa in Mexico with a chef and to build a computer.

After banking £100,000, the jackpot reached £1 million and their answer of 29 for the question of “2024 marks how many years since Blur beat Oasis to the UK number one spot with the song Country House”.

McPartlin asked Charlie why he was “so calm” when he was “hyperventilating” at seeing the total prize money.

When they won, McPartlin and Donnelly jumped around the stage while Charlie and Helen embraced.

Helen called the moment “surreal”.

“Honestly it’s like a dream,” she also said.

The married couple then lost lives when they were asked a question about the weight of Marvel character Captain America’s shield.

Unsure of an answer about Nasa’s Perseverance Rover on Mars, the pair cashed out at £1 million.

“It’s been amazing from start to finish, it’s going to take a while to sink in, I think,” Helen said.

Back stage, they seemed emotional after winning.

After the show aired, Charlie said: “We are going to take our time deciding what to do as this will change things significantly for us.

“We will pay off our mortgage and Helen has a significant birthday this year, so we are planning to go to New Zealand to see one of Helen’s closest friends who lives there.

“We also need a new (second hand) car which might now be a bit nicer than we were planning. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us so we will use the majority of it to set us and our children up for the future.”

He said they first told Helen’s mother and father, who were on holiday at their house, and “their jaws dropped when we told them how much”.

Charlie also said: “On the morning of the record, we talked about having a code between us should a question come up that one of us was absolutely 100% certain about.

“That way we could go for the big answer if it came along. We decided to use the code ‘I know, know the answer’.

“As soon as that question came up, I realised that I knew, knew it – 100% – so there was nothing to be nervous about. The only time we realised the scale of it was when we locked in the answer and the whole audience gasped.

“But although I knew the answer, the only reason we were able to walk away with the money is because Helen 100% trusted me to lock the answer in – that level of trust means more to me than the money ever will.”

He also said that he and Helen were “lucky”, so “if we can do it then I’m sure others will be able to win even more in the future”.

Previously, the TV game show saw Katherine and Will win £500,000 on series one.

Last week, sisters Tina and Tracy won £100,000.

Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win season three continues on Saturday on ITV1 and ITVX.