UK NEWS

MASTERMIND MISTRESS GAVE BIRTH JUST DAYS BEFORE SHOW

MASTERMIND: John Humpreys asks the questions on the famous TV programme

Sunday June 21,2009

By Clare Heal

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(1)

By any standards, Nancy Dickmann’s victory in the grand final of TV’s Mastermind was impressive.

It seems even more so when you learn that Nancy, 33, became a mother only four weeks before the first round of the competition was filmed.

Originally from St Louis, Missouri, but resident in Oxford for seven years, she decided to apply for the show after seeing an advert in her local paper. She was already seven months pregnant when she auditioned.

“I still remember the look on the researcher’s face when I hove into view,” she says. Her daughter, Imogen, is now nearly 14 months old but was not quite four weeks when Nancy’s first round was filmed last May.

“The first round was fine because I was just running on adrenalin but the semi-final was a struggle because she was about two-and-a-half months at that point and I was hardly getting any sleep at all and gave some stupid wrong answers,” said Nancy.

“In a way, though, having a child made it easier as I was on maternity leave and had plenty of time to revise.”

Nancy originally came to the UK on a two-year transfer but fell in love with co-worker Duncan, 36, and ended up staying.

The couple both work for publisher Heinemann.

She says that she was always aware of Mastermind’s prestige but didn’t have the confidence to apply until recently because of the cultural knowledge of the UK necessary for the general knowledge round.

Nancy’s winning performance was broadcast on Friday night on BBC2.

Of her new-found TV fame she added: “I hope I’ll get recognised in my local Sainsbury’s at least. Then I’ll know I’ve made it”

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

A WORTHY CHAMPION - AND SUCCESSOR

21.06.09, 9:03pm

Nancy performed brilliantly to win the Final. The quality of the field was outstanding, an considering that she became a new 'mum' just before the series started it boggles the mind how she managed to learn 3 specialist subjects so well. I'm just glad that she wasn't playing in the previous series !

Enjoy your time as champion Nancy - you thoroughly deserve it.

• Posted by: lDaveClark • Report Comment