TV poker hope for cheating Major

Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Cheat Major Charles Ingram is taking part in a new TV show which could help him pay off a slice of his debts.

Ingram will join other celebrities, including Big Brother’s “Nasty” Nick Bateman and TV psychologist Dr Raj Persaud, in the second series of Celebrity Poker Club.

The celebrities will battle it out for £25,000 (€37,200) prize money on Challenge, the games entertainment channel.

On Wednesday the former Army major, who has personal debts of more than £300,000 (€446,600), was ordered by appeal judges to pay the financial penalty for his TV fraud within three months or face nine months’ imprisonment.

A court heard how Ingram gambled £4,000 (€6,000) of his pension on a stock market spread bet in a desperate attempt to raise the cash.

Ingram and wife Diana were each fined £15,000 (€22,300) and ordered to pay £10,000 (€14,900) costs, in addition to 18-month suspended jail sentences, after being found guilty last year of trying to cheat the ITV1 quiz out of £1m (€1.5m).

“It is going to be very difficult for us,” he said on Wednesday.