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A Deal or No Deal contestant who successfully won prize money has disclosed the genuine reason behind the months-long delay in receiving her winnings. Janet Swannell appeared on the ITV programme and enjoyed a positive result, departing with £8,000 in prize money. Nevertheless, the children's entertainer confirmed that whilst the prize money is genuine, contestants don't receive instant access to the cash contained within their chosen case.

Sharing behind-the-scenes insights with followers, Janet used her TikTok platform to explain that she was required to wait until her episode was broadcast before she could access the funds. She acknowledged it was "not an easy secret to keep" as she initially recorded the episode in November 2024, yet it wasn't transmitted until January this year.

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Speaking from her vehicle, she said: "I have a loud mouth and it was not an easy secret to keep. Lots of people are asking 'when did you get your winnings?' The answer is not a simple one."

Janet clarified: "Basically, there are 2 options, You either get your winnings 6 weeks after your game airs on ITV or 6 months after you play and you sit in the hot seat, whichever comes sooner.

"So for me, I recorded my show in November 2024 so I got my money around May because my episode only aired January 2026, which is crazy. I couldn't tell anyone for over 12 months despite everybody asking and asking. Honestly, if you ask all my friends, I did not tell them."

Revealing the primary reason for keeping her victory secret, she explained: "Mainly because I didn't want to get sued by ITV. And the other reason is I wanted my friends and family to see it with the excitement of the game."

Disclosing further behind-the-scenes details, she said: "A little secret, which nobody knows is that actually my partner, my mum and my daughter were in the audience. Because I live local to the studios, they were actually there for the day so they were all sworn to secrecy as well.

"But yeah, the reason that you don't get paid is because if you then blab and you ruin it for everyone, you've signed a contract and that money's not yours."

Janet also revealed how contestants are selected to participate. When a fresh game commences, the names of all players in the studio are displayed on a spinning screen and one is randomly selected.

Frequently, contestants' relatives will be visible seated in the front row of the audience.

She disclosed: "There is a little secret fun fact about that. We are picked at random and we do not know when we are going to play. So the reactions that you see on the day are true.

"But there are several players that are shortlisted per day, so that their family and friends can travel to the studios to make sure they're in the audience just in case."

She continued: "I know some family or friends that have travelled from Cornwall or Devon or Scotland and their person didn't play.

"Just because your family members in the audience does not mean you're gonna play, we are shortlisted, so that several players are on the standby list and then only one's chosen."