EAGLE-EYED viewers of Countdown may have spotted a Langdon Hills woman missing from the final.

Annie Humphries won eight rounds of the popular TV show in series 75, becoming an Octochamp and being the highest-scoring contestant in the current series.

Mrs Humphries, a retired teacher who taught at Fryerns School for five years, posted brilliant scores with all of them more than 80, and most of them more than 100.

Her top score was 108 - while her opponent scored just 16.

However, she was unable to take her place for the final, aired on December 23, due to not being able to make the filming date.

She has now been invited back to a later final.

Speaking on the show, presenter Nick Hewer called her “the wonderful, wonderful Annie Humphries, highest female scorer, who can’t be with us but we will see her in the finals of series 76 in 2017”.

Mrs Humphries, who underwent a laryngectomy, where the voice box is removed, in 2009 after contracting cancer, said she was looking forward to the final.

She added: “I watch it every day and use the app as practice. I don’t cheat and pause the programme but try to play against the competitors. It will be harder for this final as I won’t have played against them before, but I am watching them.”

She added that the shows were very strategic and the word games required an understanding of how words were put together to do well. Her love of patterns also helps her during the maths rounds.

Mrs Humphries said it wasn’t glamorous filming the series in Salford, near Manchester, as it involved long days with as many as five shows being recorded on one day.

She added: “I have met some lovely people among the other contestants though. After having the laryngectomy, I was not very confident speaking but this has been a great boost.”