She was the cold-hearted contestant who provided one of the most iconic moments in TV game show history – when she dramatically ‘stole’ £100,000 to leave a fellow player visibly devastated.
Now, 15 years on from the notorious episode of the ITV show Golden Balls, MailOnline has tracked down the woman whose act of calculated selfishness became legendary and spawned a million memes and clips.
Today we can reveal that the huge payout apparently gave Sarah Mooney a leg up in life which for her has continued to be golden – while the man she ‘stole’ the cash prize from is struggling financially.
Mooney was just 22 when she appeared alongside Stephen Bushnall, who was 15 years her senior, in the now legendary episode of the ITV programme in 2008.
The climactic sequence saw Sarah swipe all the prize money from under the nose of her trusting rival despite having just agreed to share £50,000 each.
And 16 years on from her shocking trick, we can reveal that Sarah has apparently used her game show winnings to give herself a stepping stone to a comfortable life.
She owns an attractive £250,000 five-bedroom home nestled in the stunning Lancashire countryside in the shadow of famous local landmark Pendle Hill.
She moved to the area after previously living in Manchester.
Sarah Mooney, (pictured) who dramatically ‘stole’ £100,000 of the ITV show Golden Balls, now lives a comfortable life an attractive £250,000 five-bedroom home, MailOnline can reveal
Stephen Bushnall lost £100,000 to Sarah on TV’s Golden Balls during a ‘split or steal’ ending
It remains one of the most shocking moments in TV history and Stephen says he’s still not over it. Pictured, Stephen and host Jasper Carrott react to the infamous ‘Steal’ moment
Stephen Bushnall, 50, remains an internet sensation 15 years after the infamous episode of the ITV show Golden Balls
Now 37, Sarah has a young family with her PE teacher husband Nick and a successful career as an accountant with a pleasant set up that allows her to regularly work from home.
As these pictures show Sarah is a fitness fanatic with a particular interest in running and tennis.
Sarah declined our request to discuss her internet celebrity.
The format of the TV show that gave her that celebrity and set her on the way to that comfortable lifestyle saw four initial contestants whittled down to two playing for a maximum prize of £100,000 and culminated in them both having to choose whether to ‘steal or split’ the jackpot.
If both agreed to share they would half the prize – if both said steal they would get nothing. So when Sarah chose ‘steal’ she had to convince Stephen he could trust her or risk getting nothing.
When she successfully carried out this steal, Stephen, now 51, was visibly shaken at her betrayal – his visceral reaction to the shock of her betrayal saw him slump forward, throwing his head in his hands before bursting into tears.
He later had to be consoled by the show’s host, Jasper Carrott as he struggled to comprehend the scale of Sarah’s betrayal.
Now 37-year-old Sarah lives a comfortable life with a successful career as an accountant regularly working from home
As seen in these pictures Sarah is a fitness fanatic with a particular interest in running and tennis
Stephen has come forward to tell MailOnline that he never had any intention of stealing the money and hopes his fellow contestant is ‘doing well’
Stephen recently told MailOnline that he wasn’t playing to win but to share the money and despite everything he is happy Sarah is ‘doing well’.
He told Mail Online: ‘I would have always asked what did she do with the money. If she’s got a nice life then great, fair play to her.
‘I was never playing to win £100,000 – I wanted to share £50,000. I was playing to win money but I was always going to share.
‘I was not thinking I am stealing. Stealing was never ever an option for me. I was always going to split.’
Mr Bushnall explained the ordeal feels ‘like five minutes ago’ instead of 16 years, as he is ‘always reminded’ by constant messages and comments of his loss.
‘If she’s doing well I am happy. Fair play,’ he said before adding: ‘She played the game. She got me hooked, line and sinker.’
‘Lots of people have said if she was a nice person she would have said, I am sorry but I will share something, if she was a nice enough.’
The 50-year-old even remarked that he has friends who have said they would steal, quipping: ‘I can’t compete with her if her attitude was steal.’
‘I did think she would give some of the money but no she hasn’t. She was obviously under no legal obligation to do that,’ he added.
Stephen explained that he is regularly reminded about the brutal moment by comments and messages, remarking that it feels like ‘five minutes ago’
Stephen has not spoken to Sarah since the show ended and said he would agree to meet again ‘under the right circumstances’
Glamorous Sarah declined to comment when approached by MailOnline
When asked if there was any possibility he would meet Mooney again he said: ‘Under the right circumstances, yes.
‘Fifty thousand would have changed my life. People know I have morals and principles and I am honest. Morally I got the better part of that show.’
Although his £50,000 prize was ripped away, he does not wish bad upon his fellow contestant.
‘I can imagine people who do recognise her do comment bad things which I don’t wish to happen,’ he said: ‘I do not want her to have a bad time.’
It was only a year ago that Stephen explained to MailOnline how the heartbreaking twist which robbed him of £50,000 still haunts him – as he struggles with £20,000 of debts.
However, a well-placed source told MailOnline: ‘Sarah came across as a baddie who deceived poor Stephen on the show but in real life she is nothing like that.
‘She is actually very caring and quite shy. She rarely mentions her time on Golden Balls to anyone, she’s not one to brag about winning all that money.
‘Very few – if any – of her neighbours know that she was on television.
![The 50-year-old even remarked that he has friends who have said they would steal, quipping: 'I can't compete with [Sarah] (pictured) if her attitude was steal.'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/31/17/94735199-14347535-image-a-11_1738345745044.jpg)
The 50-year-old even remarked that he has friends who have said they would steal, quipping: ‘I can’t compete with [Sarah] (pictured) if her attitude was steal.’
He also believed Sarah (pictured) would give him some of the money despite being under no obligation to do so
‘Fifty thousand would have changed my life. People know I have morals and principles and I am honest. Morally I got the better part of that show,’ Stephen said
‘It’s important to remember that this all happened 16-years ago and Sarah was on a gameshow playing to win.
‘She’s never spoken ill of Stephen, in fact she’s always wished him well, but they were playing against each other to win £100,000.
‘Sarah works from home nowadays and takes her children to school every morning. She has a lovely family and leads a quiet life, Golden Balls helped her on her way but it’s firmly in the past.’
The show aired between 2007 and 2009 and was presented by Brummie comedian Carrott.
It saw contestants collect cash and bluff their way to the last round. The final two then choose to share or steal the remaining money.
If both shared it was split but if one stole while the other shared – like Stephen and Sarah – then the player who opted to steal kept all the money for themselves.
If they both stole, they would have left empty-handed.
Clips of the moment Sarah decided to go all in are still shared on social media to this day.
During the final showdown between her and Stephen, host Carrott told them: ‘This is serious money’ as he then asked them both to choose either the ‘split’ or ‘steal’ ball.
Despite losing the money and now being in thousands of pounds, Stephen does not wish Sarah ill will and hopes she is living a nice life
A source told MailOnline: ‘Sarah came across as a baddie who deceived poor Stephen on the show but in real life she is nothing like that’
Before he decided to share, Stephen looked intently at Sarah and said: ‘We’re going home with 50 grand each, I can promise you that:’
But in a heartbreaking twist as he unveiled the ‘split’ ball, she held aloft the ‘steal’ ball to pocket all the cash and draw gasps of astonishment from the audience.
Shattered Stephen sank forwards and held his head in his hands as even Carrott covered his eyes in shock.
The business development manager from Hartlepool County Durham has become a meme and the controversial clip frequently goes viral on Instagram and Tiktok.
Just yesterday a clip of the moment shared on Tiktok received 45,000 views.
In an emotional interview last year, Sarah’s beaten rival recalled the moment she twisted the knife.
He said: ‘She looked me in the eye and told me she would share and I believed her.’
Stephen said he has never heard from Sarah since their appearance on the show and she has not offered to give him any slice of her prize money.
The source claimed Sarah had a ‘very caring’ and was ‘quite shy’ in nature – with the mother rarely discusses her time on Golden Balls
However, he wished her well and hoped she invested the cash wisely, saying: ‘The show was very intense. It was pure greed.
‘As soon as it was done we went our separate ways and that was that. I have never spoken to her since.’
Stephen, 51, remains an internet sensation but continues to face difficult challenges in life and told how he is paying off £20,000 worth of debt.
He told MailOnline: ‘£50,000 at the time would have changed my life. I was in a lot of debt then and I still am now.’
‘Like a lot of people, I am struggling. Life is tough.
‘I was absolutely devastated when it happened. I was in a state of pure shock and broke down in tears.
‘It would have been amazing. It would have sorted out a lot of problems and I played the game fairly.
‘And right now I am £20,000 in debt through owed money and credit card bills. The cost of living crisis has been very tough.
‘But, if I had my chance again, I would still pick to share the money. That is the sort of person I am and always will be.
‘It’s important to remember that this all happened 16-years ago and Sarah was on a gameshow playing to win,’ the source said
‘I could not have lived with myself if I had stolen all that money from someone. It is not who I am.
‘And now, even though I lost all of it, if I went back on I would share. Regardless of the financial situation I am in and what happened. I don’t know any different.’
Golden Balls – which was also David Beckham’s tabloid nickname during his playing days – ran for six series between 2007 and 2009.
The ‘steal or split’ aspect led to it being studied by academics including social scientists and evolutionary biologists who were keen to find patterns in people’s behaviours on whether or not to cooperate.
They found that 53% of all players chose to share with young men most likely to betray their fellow players.
