Michael Owen branded 'cheapskate' for rejecting Deal or No Deal offer

18 December 2023 , 13:29

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Michael walked away with just £4,000 (Image: ITV)

Michael Owen became the first celebrity on the new edition of Deal Or No Deal but fans were not impressed.

The former Liverpool ace, 44, appeared on the show on Sunday in order to raise vital funds for Fight For Sight – a charity funding research into the prevention and treatment of blindness and eye diseases. The star was joined in the studio audience by his daughter Gemma and a string of famous faces.

Michael managed to start his game quite strong which appeared to be a running theme after opening a string of blue boxes, meaning the higher sums of money remained untouched.

Michael Owen's appearance on Deal Or No Deal got off to a strong start (ITV)

But things soon took a drastic turn when the £100,000 was wiped out and Michael was finally left with £4,000, £5,000 and a larger sum of £25,000 on the right-hand side of the board. Following this, the mystery banker who is never seen offered the horse racing enthusiast a whopping £10,200.

After taking time to consider the offer, he was eventually convinced to carry on playing and decline the banker. His fellow teammates believed that Owen had the £25,000 in his box on the counter which would have been the large sum he'd walk away with if he declined all offers.

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However, Gemma, his daughter who appeared on Love Island told her father that she was somewhat anxious about her dad's box. But when he was offered £10,000 by the banker, Michael said no, leaving viewers at home completely bewildered.

The former Liverpool ace was initially offered £10,200 (ITV)

His game took a nosedive straight after when he opened Gemma's box to discover the £25,000 leaving the audience in the studio completely horrified, with an audible gasp. Following the bombshell, he was subsequently left with just £4,000 and £5,000 in play on the board.

The banker later offered a mere £4,000, which Michael again declined to accept in the hopes of walking away with more money. But unbeknownst to him, his red box had £4,000 in it, meaning that's all he would be walking away with.

Fans have since taken to social media to share their views and called for the millionaire to "top up" the offer. One said: "These rich people are too casual with money. Hope he coughs up the difference to his top offer." A second added: "Owen should top up that amount with £96k of his own money for his charity… #DealOrNoDeal."

Meanwhile, another commented: "Michael Owen is a multi-millionaire but didn’t offer to make up the difference to the highest offer he received from the banker. What a cheapskate. #DealornoDeal."

Daniel Bird