In March of 1957, 40-year-old Terry Phillips appeared on the British television show “State Your Case.” She competed against two other contestants as to who was most in need of the 100-pound (approximately $2,400 today) prize.
After the show, viewers mailed in their selection and Mrs. Phillips had won. She convinced the viewing audience that her nose was far too oversized and needed to be reduced. “I get chilblains in winter,” she said. “I scald it when I take a hot drink.”
After winning the prize, her 8-year-old daughter Shirley was upset and said, “Mummy, don’t have your nose cut off.” Her husband Bill agreed, so Terry decided to skip the surgery and donate the money to four different charities.
Bill said, “We’re all pleased she changed her mind. We’ve got sort of used to her nose over the years.”