'Devastation' as ITV Tipping Point contestant on today's show dies

A retired school bus driver from Bolton died before the episode of a popular ITV gameshow Tipping Point she took part in aired, it sadly announced.

Just before the show aired this afternoon (May 4) the show announced one of their contestants, Cath, had sadly died. The Bolton woman had played alongside Afqad and Mark as the trio battled it out for the chance to take home the potential £10,000 jackpot. Cath was knocked out first, leaving Afqad and Mark to jostle for the jackpot Wales Online report.

Sadly before the show aired, reports came in that Cath, who had announced "I don't want to go home" just before being knocked out, had died since the filming of the episode. In a tweet 15 minutes before the show aired, Tipping Point said: "After the recording of today's programme, we spoke with Cath's family who shared the sad news of Cath's passing. Everyone at Tipping Point would like to extend their sincerest sympathies."

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The tweet was met with messages of support for Cath's family. "I'm devastated to hear this and would like to offer my condolences to Cath's friends and family," one Twitter user posted. "Bless her. Sad to hear when this happens. Thoughts with all the family x," another wrote.

Host Ben Shephard followed up with his own message of support: "Today's Tipping Point is a poignant one… since recording the show, lovely contestant Cath, pictured backstage here, has passed away. Our thoughts and love are with her family and friends x".

Ben Shephard paid tribute to Tipping Point contestant Cath, second right, who passed away prior to her episode airing (Twitter @BenShephard)

Sadly, Cath never got to see herself on the show, but tributes to the pensioner continued to pour in throughout the show as news broke.

Hosted by Ben Shephard, the show has been on our screens for a decade and totted up 12 series of the daytime quiz game.

Throughout the years hundreds of contestants have tested their luck against the arcade-style machine, which drops tokens down a choice of four chutes, as they attempt to knock piles of them off a moving shelf. The more you collect, the bigger the prize fund, in today's episode,