Millions watched Zoe Evans fall at the first hurdle in a TV competition to win £1m - but she still came away with £10,000.

Zoe Evans, 29, of Sturt Road, Charlbury, competed against seven others on Chris Evans' TFI programme on Christmas Eve for the first £1m TV prize.

In the first round of questions she was asked: "Who played the priest in Romeo and Juliet starring Leonardo de Caprio - John Cleese or Pete Postlethwaite?"

She wrongly answered 'John Cleese', and said goodbye to her chance to be a millionaire.

But kind-hearted winner, jobless Ian Woodley, of Lee, South London, gave all the contestants £5,000 - and Chris Evans matched it. Zoe could have walked away with £5,000 after winning the preliminary round but decided to give it up for the chance of winning £1m.

She said: "We still ended up better off. It is back to earth with a bump now and I'll have to go back to work. I was going to stay at home with my children if I won."

Mrs Evans works as an assistant company secretary at Saint Gobain, in Wallingford. She said she still celebrated with husband David, 30, and children James, eight, and Daniel, seven, and they had a special Christmas.

She said: "I'm not too disappointed. I didn't expect to win, anyway.

"Everyone was really supportive and there was no rivalry. We were all really pleased for Ian."

Story date: Tuesday 28 December

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