London born Melissa Mills, who has been living and working in Galway for three years, will appear on Channel 4’s Countdown game show on May 20.
The Skeffington Arms Hotel receptionist admits to being a bit of a swot, and before travelling to Manchester to film the show, actually read the dictionary. "In preparation for the programme, I began reading the dictionary, writing down words I didn’t know and then putting them into sentences. Growing up I loved reading and watching Countdown while my friends were outside playing. I guess it has paid off."
Ms Mills put up a good performance in the auditions for the show and this has led to the invitation to partake. "I completed five word games and got either seven or eight-word answers out of a possible nine, while I successfully completed one numbers round but got one wrong. However, I did enough to impress the producer and I secured my place."
The 29-year-old says her appearance on the show is the realisation of a childhood dream. "It is all a bit surreal, and hasn’t sunk in yet. I guess when it’s aired it might feel real then. I’m so excited to see the show and watch it with friends and family. It was brilliant to get to meet Susie Dent, Nick Hewer, and Rachel Riley. They were very friendly."
Customers are being invited to go along and support Melissa in The Skeff Bar & Kitchen at 3pm on May 20 to watch the Countdown episode on Channel 4.
