The Ingrams deny the charges

Diana Ingram, the wife of army major Charles Ingram, said her husband did not win the prize through coded coughs from another contestant, but because he had "taken risks".

Mr Ingram and his wife, both 39 and of Easterton, Wiltshire are charged with procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception.

Tecwen Whittock, 53, of Heol-y-Gors, Whitchurch, Cardiff, is also charged. All three are denying the charge.

Mrs Ingram told the court if she had been competing in the programme she would have not have taken part if the total had gone over �500,000, but said her husband was more of a risk taker.

"I would not have played for �1m, but I don't like taking risks like he does," she told London's Southwark Crown Court.

'Coded' coughs

The prosecution claim Mr Whittock made strategic coughs to help Mr Ingram answer the questions of the 10 September, 2001 edition of the quiz, hosted by Chris Tarrant.

Mr Whittock, who was one of the fellow contestants competing for the chance to win �1m, is alleged to have made 19 "coded" coughs to help Mr Ingram choose answers.

Mrs Ingram's QC, Adrian Redgrave, asked her: "The accusation made against you here is of dishonest involvement in a scheme to cheat your husband's way to one million pounds. That is the allegation. Is it true or false?"

Mrs Ingram replied: "False."

Mr Whittock had claimed his coughs were due to hay fever

Mrs Ingram was also questioned about phone calls made to pagers.

The prosecution has suggested Mr Ingram planned to use four vibrating pagers that would have enabled the correct answer to be sent to him, but dropped the idea because it was "too risky".

Mrs Ingram was also questioned over how she had known Mr Whittock. Her husband claims he had never met him before the cheating allegations arose.

The prosecution said Mrs Ingram had spoken to Mr Whittock on the phone after the first recoridng of the show. It was the 39th time she had rung him, they said.

They said that it was at this time the trio had worked out how to mount the "coughing fraud".

Mrs Ingram said she had admitted that many of the phone calls she had made were not heard by her husband.

She said: "Charles did not know about Tecwen Whittock and he had his chance to have a go on the Fastest Finger and get on the show.

"I did not see any point in telling Charles about him but I was not deliberately keeping it from him."

Mrs Ingram said she had met the college professor through her brother Adrian, because both men were interested in trying to win the show's prize and were discussing strategies to try and win the show.

Her brother then asked her to liaise with Mr Whittock while he was on holiday.

Last week Mr Ingram said he did not hear any coughs during his time in the seat, despite Mr Whittock only sitting a few feet away from him.