A Tipping Point contestant was left devastated after a health diagnosis appeared to put her £2,500 holiday prize in jeopardy — just weeks before she was due to travel to Portugal with her husband.
Maxine Longmuir, 69, had been thrilled to win a seven-night stay at the five-star Domes Lake Algarve resort while appearing on the ITV quiz show. The trip was particularly meaningful because she was due to celebrate both her 70th birthday and wedding anniversary.
But after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, Maxine says she was told she needed surgery and should not fly, leaving her unable to take the holiday on its original dates.
A Tipping Point winner is furious after being ‘banned’ from a luxury holiday they won on the ITV quiz show(Image: Copyright (c) ITV.)
A dream trip turns into a disappointment
Maxine had been due to travel with her 67-year-old husband, Graham Hewson, on April 19.
The couple had reportedly not been able to take a holiday for five years, making the prize especially significant.
A contestant on ITV’s Tipping Point claims she was unable to rebook a holiday she’d won on the ITV quiz show after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation(Image: ITV)
Maxine had already booked coach tickets to the airport and arranged for a friend to look after the couple’s dogs while they were away.
“It was one of the mystery prizes, it was the best prize I’d ever seen on the show,” she said.
“It was a fantastic feeling to win. It’s our wedding anniversary and I turn 70 this year so it was supposed to be the perfect celebration.”
However, her plans changed after she was diagnosed with a fast or irregular heartbeat earlier in the month.
Maxine said she was subsequently told she needed an operation and should not fly.
She contacted the holiday company, Destinology, to see whether the booking could be moved to different dates, but initially claimed she was told this would not be possible.
“We haven’t been able to take a holiday for five years and I’d booked coach tickets to the airport and arranged for a friend to come and look after our dogs,” she said.
“I’m so disappointed. It’s maddening because they’ve had the PR from it, but I haven’t got anything. I went back and told them some other dates I could do but the holiday company Destinology just said no.”
Destinology responds to Maxine’s complaint
However, the situation changed after the Mirror contacted Destinology.
A spokesperson for the company said the circumstances were being discussed with Maxine and confirmed that efforts were being made to rearrange her trip.
“Our customers’ experience with us is of the highest importance, and we can confirm that we have been in talks with Mrs Longmuir since last week around new dates so that we can rearrange her holiday,” the spokesperson said.
Destinology explained that the Tipping Point prize had been provided jointly by the company and Domes Lake Algarve, with Destinology covering the flights.
According to the company, when Maxine first explained that she could no longer travel on the original dates, its team contacted the hotel to request a change.
The initial difficulty was that moving the booking fell outside the hotel’s prize terms and conditions.
However, after the company explained Maxine’s circumstances, the hotel agreed to allow her stay to be moved to a future date.
Destinology also confirmed that it would rearrange her flights.
The Mirror also contacted ITV for comment.
Maxine didn’t win cash on Tipping Point
Ironically, Maxine’s experience on Tipping Point itself had not resulted in a cash prize.
The ITV programme, which has been on television since 2012, sees contestants answer general knowledge questions to win tokens that they can then use on the show’s arcade-style coin-pusher machine, with the possibility of winning a £10,000 jackpot.
Maxine had gone through six screening phone calls with the show’s producers before taking part in an hour-long Zoom meeting with other potential contestants.
She was eventually invited to Bristol to film her episode in April.
Although she made it through to the final two, her appearance ended after she answered a question incorrectly.
The question concerned a Chancellor of the Exchequer, but Maxine said her mind simply went blank.
“I got through to the final two but answered a question wrong, it was about a Chancellor of the Exchequer and my mind just went blank,” she explained.
Despite missing out on the cash, she said she was still delighted with the experience — particularly because she got to meet presenter Ben Shephard.
“I still got what I wanted – I only went on there to get a hug with Ben. I’d never been on a TV show before.”
Another ITV competition winner faced a holiday problem
Maxine’s situation comes after another ITV competition winner reportedly encountered a very different problem with a holiday prize.
Charity worker Tammy Fox, 43, who runs Pumpkin and Friends to raise awareness of disabled animals, won a dream family getaway for four on Saturday Night Takeaway.
But her excitement turned to disappointment when she discovered that her paralysed dog, Pumpkin, could not accompany the family.
She was told the airline operating the trip only permitted assistance dogs to travel on the aircraft.
For Maxine, however, the latest development offers hope that her own prize holiday may eventually go ahead.
After initially being told the original booking could not be moved, Destinology confirmed that Domes Lake Algarve had agreed to transfer her stay to a future date, while the company would rearrange the flights.
What began as a frustrating situation for the Tipping Point winner now appears to have a possible resolution — allowing Maxine and Graham the chance to finally enjoy the celebration they had been looking forward to.