TV star Simmone Jade Mackinnon has won a share of $536,000 after conquering Channel Nine’s The Summit.
The 51-year-old actress made it to the peak of the mountain alongside fellow trekkers Mat Rogers and Charlotte Shelton.
They believed they’d split the prize money evenly but in a twist, the first contestant to capture the bag would decide how they wanted to split the money.
Charlotte and Mat got to the bag first but the former football star handed the bag to the midwife, unaware of the power he was relinquishing.
Charlotte decided to give Simmone and Mat $100,000 each while taking home the remaining $336,000.
TV star Simmone Jade Mackinnon (pictured) has won a share of $536,000 after conquering Channel Nine’s The Summit
Simmone said she felt ‘grateful’ for the prize money but was disappointed it wasn’t split evenly between the three players.
‘I was shattered, and I’m still eternally grateful because that money will definitely help but I won’t be able to build the shed house that I’d planned to,’ she told 9Entertainment.
It comes after Simmone recently spoke about falling on hard times after soaring to fame in the early 2000s.
She started her career on the American series Baywatch: Hawaii, which aired from 1999 to 2001, and then returned home for her starring role as Stevie Hall in popular drama McLeod’s Daughters from 2003 to 2009.
The 51-year-old actress made it to the peak of the mountain alongside fellow trekkers Mat Rogers (centre) and Charlotte Shelton (left) and took home $100,000 in prize money
Simmone said she felt ‘grateful’ for the prize money but was disappointed it wasn’t split evenly between the three players
After McLeod’s Daughters ended, she drifted away from the industry and ended up in financial stress, which took such a toll on her that she suffered from panic attacks and hair loss.
These days, the 2007 Gold Logie nominee – who was once engaged to Hollywood star Jason Momoa – is living in a caravan with her son after stepping away from the limelight and going broke.
She spoke of her heartbreaking situation on The Summit.
‘The last three years have been the hardest of my life,’ Simmone said.
It comes after Simmone recently spoke about falling on hard times after soaring to fame in the early 2000s
‘And that caused severe anxiety. After a week of back-to-back panic attacks that led to massive hair loss.
‘There was big chunks just falling out so I had to shave it all off. You lose your hair and it’s a massive psychological hit.
‘I just hid. I hid away from everything and everyone for years.’
