‘Never in a million years did I think I would win’: Plumber Livvi on ‘amazing’ £90K game show success

A Downham plumbing lecturer and football coach who scooped £90,000 on a popular game show has said her win feels “amazing”.Livvi Hodges, 31, who works at the Anglia Training Centre at Lynn’s College of West Anglia, earned the top prize on Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel which aired on BBC One on Saturday night.Livvi, who is a former Downham Market High School student, will be putting some of the money towards supporting Downham Town FC Girls Youth – which she helped set up earlier this year.

She is the coach and manager of the under-13s team – and hopes that the funds will help the youngsters feel like “little footballing stars”.Having first applied for The Wheel back in April – after watching an episode and thinking ‘why not’ – Livvi went through a number of stages in the process, including sending in a video of herself and taking part in a virtual show with other potential contestants on a video call.“Then I didn’t hear anything for ages after that but one day I got a phone call saying ‘we think you would be a good contestant – can you do next week?’” Livvi told the Lynn News.

On Saturday, June 8, she travelled to the studio in Hemel Hempstead with her twin sister Maddie Belding. The team explained the rules to Livvi and the other contestants and ensured that they were aware of the names of the celebrities who would be appearing on the show – unaware of a surprise guest appearance from popstar Robbie Williams.Before it began, its host, comedian Michael McIntyre, met the trio and chatted to them. “He was lovely – he was exactly how he seems on telly,” Livvi said.

“Once it starts, you are below the main wheel and you have headphones on so you can’t hear a thing, and you’re not allowed to talk to the other contestants but you can feel the vibrations of the wheel spinning.”The 31-year-old, who was last to be randomly selected and play the game, said that the way the contestants are picked is “very fair”.“They take it very seriously,” she added.

Asked what she felt when she was finally picked, Livvi said: “I was just overwhelmed. I couldn’t believe I was actually playing. “I didn’t know until I got up there how many categories were left. Never in a million years did I think I would clear it, let alone win.”After introducing herself, Livvi told McIntyre that, if she won, she hoped to use some of the funds on the football team as well as a family holiday.

With only three categories needing to be cleared from the game, Livvi chose the ‘basketball’ question first and luckily the celebrity whose category it was, presenter Ade Adepitan, was ‘spun in’.“I didn’t have a clue, I was so happy I got matched with Ade – I don’t think anyone else would have known that answer,” she said.The next two questions were on the topics of weddings and fashion – both of which she got right with the help of Adepitan and actress Susan Wokoma. “It was a process of elimination with the other questions,” Livvi said.

With only one final question left to answer correctly to win, McIntyre told Livvi she could pick the ‘worst-performing’ celebrity to help her, Richard Madeley, and earn £90,000, the ‘mid-performing’ celebrities actress Ayda Field and her husband, popstar Robbie Williams, and gain £45,000, or the ‘best-performing’ celebrity Susan and bag £22,500.In the episode, Livvi told him that she had gone there with the intention to “go big or go home” and chose Madeley to help her.“I always said I knew that if I got to the final that I was going to go for it, no matter what celebrity – if I got into the final, I was going to go for the biggest sum,” Livvi said.

“What are the chances of getting there? They told us that 34,000 people apply to be on the show, there’s 10 episodes and three contestants per episode so that’s 30 contestants per series.“That doesn’t happen to someone like me. Even before I went on, I knew that if I ever got in that situation, that’s what I would do.” The final question, on the topic of herbs and spices, asked whether tarragon, rosemary, coriander or thyme was most often described as having a “distinct liquorice-like flavour”.

Again, by process of elimination, the pair both agreed on tarragon – and soon discovered it was the correct answer, earning Livvi the highest prize available of £90,000.“It was just the most surreal feeling,” she said.“I just remember all I wanted to do was cry. I was hugging Richard and Michael, everyone was so nice.“Afterwards, Robbie came up to me and he was such a nice person, he was asking me about the football team.”

Although the show’s psychotherapist had warned Livvi that – in the event that she won – she could receive hateful comments, she said she has not had “anything like that”. “Everyone has been so kind. I’ve been so humbled by the amount of love and support there’s been.“I went to watch Norwich play yesterday and the amount of people who said ‘I saw you win on telly yesterday’ was crazy. I expected to get some recognition in Downham but thought I wouldn’t in Norwich.“Everyone has been so happy for me, it feels amazing – and Downham girls have been put on the map.”Livvi explained that, when she was young, there was no girls’ football team in Downham. “I feel so grateful I can give them everything that they need for a few years so they can feel like little footballing stars.“I feel so privileged. If they need anything, I can just get it – like training kits and new boots. We have discussed giving them all some money for new boots.“We’ve already got a few things lined up for them.”After being approached by the youth team coach for boys in Downham, Livvi helped set up the girls’ team in the spring. She is now manager and coach of the under-13s team, while there is also an under-15s and there are hopes to start an under-11s one in time for next season.Livvi added: “Growing up, I played for Downham Ladies and we had the old mens’ kits which were stained and horrible.“We didn’t have any training tops. I want them to wear the Downham badge with pride and be proud that they play for them.“We also don’t want the parents to worry about money. I feel so grateful that I can do that for them.”As well as supporting her team, Livvi is also looking forward to an all-inclusive family holiday to Fuerteventura with her two sisters, their husbands, the three siblings’ children and her parents.