Red or Black axes two contestants

Simon Cowell's 'Red or Black' has axed two contestants after tightening security checks.

The ITV1 game show has come under fire since it was revealed 31-year-old Nathan Hageman - who scooped the £1 million jackpot on Saturday - spent two-and-a-half years behind bars for attacking former lover Amy Edwards and now show bosses have vowed to be more careful when choosing contestants.

A source told the Daily Mirror: "One of the contestants hadn't been totally honest with us when they sat down with producers.

"This was revealed during the subsequent Criminal Records Bureau checks. The crime wouldn't have necessarily precluded them from going on the show - but the fact that they weren't honest from the beginning most certainly would. The second person's crime was serious enough to warrant them being sacked from the show.

"Although their convictions came up in the checks, after we re-looked at the circumstances surrounding the crime, the decision was made to terminate their time on the show."

An ITV spokesman for the show - which is hosted by Ant and Dec and co-produced by Simon's production company Syco - added: "ITV has reviewed the background checks on remaining contestants from 'Red or Black'. As a result of this we have asked producers to remove two contestants from this week's shows. Red or Black will continue on these occasions with seven rather than eight contestants."

Viewers of last night's show saw Andy Morton, a 26 year old accounts executive from Grinstead lose out on a million after picking the wrong colour during the final round.