Former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host Chris Tarrant has admitted he spent the first 10 years of his TV career ‘drunk.’
The veteran presenter 75, kickstarted his journey by presenting the current affairs programme ATV Today – from 1964 to 1981 – before becoming a regular co-host on the children’s series Tiswas (Today Is Saturday: Watch And Smile).
However in his new memoir, It’s Not A Proper Job, Tarrant revealed his former boss ‘plied’ him with alcohol in the early hours of the morning on his first day on the job.
‘His idea of showing me the ropes was to go to The Crown pub,’ he said.
‘It was just after half 10 and my new boss was pouring pints down my neck.’
‘This became the normal pattern for most of the next 10 years. We would take what we always referred to as the “livener,”‘ he added.
Tarrant’s admission comes after he pleaded guilty to drink-driving in 2018.
The broadcaster was fined £6,000 and given a 12 month road ban for the incident that happened just before Christmas.
After leaving the court with his partner Jane Bird, Tarrant said: ‘I made a mistake and I paid for it. I shouldn’t have driven. Full stop.’
He later apologised profusely and added: ‘I honestly didn’t think I was over, but apparently I was, so fair enough.’
Asked if he thought the punishment was fair, he said: ‘Yes.’
Tarrant’s long-serving stint on the iconic game show infamously turned into an ITV drama in 2020.
Welsh actor Michael Sheen stepped into the quizmaster’s shows to tell the story of the 2001 cheating drama that rocked the country.
The three-parter special Quiz focused on how Major Charles Ingram scammed his way to winning £1million on the show with the help of a friend who was coughing the answers to him in the crowd.
Credit: Original article published here.You can read this post on My Celebrity Life.
Former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host Chris Tarrant has admitted he spent the first 10 years of his TV career ‘drunk.’
The veteran presenter 75, kickstarted his journey by presenting the current affairs programme ATV Today – from 1964 to 1981 – before becoming a regular co-host on the children’s series Tiswas (Today Is Saturday: Watch And Smile).
However in his new memoir, It’s Not A Proper Job, Tarrant revealed his former boss ‘plied’ him with alcohol in the early hours of the morning on his first day on the job.
‘His idea of showing me the ropes was to go to The Crown pub,’ he said.
‘It was just after half 10 and my new boss was pouring pints down my neck.’
‘This became the normal pattern for most of the next 10 years. We would take what we always referred to as the “livener,”‘ he added.
Tarrant’s admission comes after he pleaded guilty to drink-driving in 2018.
The broadcaster was fined £6,000 and given a 12 month road ban for the incident that happened just before Christmas.
After leaving the court with his partner Jane Bird, Tarrant said: ‘I made a mistake and I paid for it. I shouldn’t have driven. Full stop.’
He later apologised profusely and added: ‘I honestly didn’t think I was over, but apparently I was, so fair enough.’
Asked if he thought the punishment was fair, he said: ‘Yes.’
Tarrant’s long-serving stint on the iconic game show infamously turned into an ITV drama in 2020.
Welsh actor Michael Sheen stepped into the quizmaster’s shows to tell the story of the 2001 cheating drama that rocked the country.
The three-parter special Quiz focused on how Major Charles Ingram scammed his way to winning £1million on the show with the help of a friend who was coughing the answers to him in the crowd.
Credit: Original article published here.You can read this post on My Celebrity Life.