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Thursday, 30 May, 2002, 08:47 GMT 09:47 UK

Jonny scoops £1m Survivor prize

The detective constable who scooped the £1m prize on reality TV show Survivor has admitted it may be difficult to go back to his job.

Jonny Gibb won all six of the votes from former island colleagues over fellow finalist Susannah Moffat in the ITV1 final.

He was one of 12 contestants marooned off the coast of Panama battling through physical and mental challenges to be crowned the ultimate survivor.

The 31-year-old CID officer from Edinburgh had vowed to return to his job with Lothian and Borders Police force.

Mr Gibb became the second police officer to win the top prize, following in the footsteps of Charlotte Hobrough who won the first series.

After winning she handed in her notice to embark on a career in television, presenting Survivor: Raw on ITV2.

Jealous

Now Mr Gibb will meet with his seniors to discuss his future.

"A lot of colleagues will be really happy for me, but I'm sure there will be a few who are jealous," he said.

"That happens if someone gets a promotion, never mind wins a lot of money.

"I'm going to see my bosses next week and hear their decision, but it might be quite difficult to go back after winning in such a public manner."

Mr Gibb had joked on the show that the first thing he would do on winning the money would be to have three grammes of cocaine on the dashboard of a new Aston Martin and two prostitutes.

But he later dismissed the remarks as a joke and said he would spend the cash on "a nice car, a few weeks surfing in Australia and a new stereo".

Family and friends crammed the ITV studio to see his unanimous win, including firefighter girlfriend Ruth Lynn and his tattooist.

'Devious and pushy'

But loser Ms Moffat, 28, an English and drama teacher, was angry at the way she was portrayed on the show, saying she came across as an "arty farty teacher with a posh accent".

"I have been portrayed as pushy and devious and I'm really annoyed about that because that's not me at all," she said.

But one jury member said: "I think one million pounds would have a negative effect on your personality, and I don't feel you deserve the title of ultimate survivor."

The series has not been a ratings winner but viewing figures improved for last week's semi-final, which drew an audience of 6.8 million.

Nine million viewers watched last year's finale, but audiences for the current series have been more modest.


Related to this story:
Survivor II contestants revealed (13 Mar 02 | Entertainment) Survivor returns with new look (13 Mar 02 | Entertainment) Charlotte wins £1m Survivor (25 Jul 01 | Entertainment) Survivor proves a TV dinosaur (25 Jul 01 | Entertainment)


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