A Blackburn man beat the banker by winning £16,000 on Deal or No Deal yesterday.

Retired HGV driver Fred Taylor won the cash after playing the hit Channel 4 gameshow while holding a picture of his late wife, Sheila.

Mr Taylor avoided going home with a consolation prize of £250 by taking the banker’s deal - while prizes of £75,000 and £250,000 were still on the table.

However, he told presenter Noel Edmonds that £16,000 would make him ‘feel like a millionaire’.

At the beginning of the programme, aired on Sunday night, he showed Noel and the studio audience his good luck charm - a picture of his wife Sheila, taken when they first met.

He also described his heartbrreak that he would be celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary this year without her.

He said: “When the angels came, my heart was broke and it is still broken today”

The father of two plans to split his winnings three ways by giving £5,000 each to his son and daughter.

When offered the deal of £16,000 he said: “That is such a lot of money to me, I never dreamed of getting £16,000.

"Where is the gambler in me gone to, though?”

After kissing his wife’s picture he told to Noel to ask him the question again, before replying: “Deal”.

The next boxes chosen by Mr Taylor showed that he would have lost the £75,000 and £250,000 options - and would not been offered another deal higher than £7,000.

The last box chosen would have left him with just £250.