I was on Countdown and there are seriously strict rules about what you can say and how you look

A FORMER Countdown contestant has revealed all about the confidential set of rules players have to stick to.

Annie, who claims to have appeared on the Channel 4 show, took to Twitter to share excerpts from the rules with the caption "Rules for going on Countdown. These are 100% genuine.”

The first one read: "Don't say 'can I get'. When requesting letters or numbers from Rachel [Riley], please avoid using the expression ‘can I get’, as this generates a large volume of complaints from viewers.”

It seems the show gets a lot of viewer complaints about the wording used during the requests for letters and numbers, prompting another rule point.

It read: “Contestants should avoid saying ‘please’ too often when selecting letters.

“Once for the first letter and once for the last letter is probably best as we get complaints for no ‘pleases’ and complaints for too many.”

Another point added: "One last thing is pronunciation of the word ‘consonant’. In the past, anything from ‘continent’, ‘condiment’ to ‘constanant’ has been used, much to the irritation of viewers. Please try to say ‘consonant’ as clearly as possible.”

As well as what participants can and can't say, they're also told how to clap.

One point reads: "When clapping, please just pretend to do so."

It was connected to sound quality and so the show also asked the contestants not to sit with their chin in their hands or rip their paper as it can distort the sound too.

How a contestant should dress is also covered in the rules.

It read: "A dressing room is provided for you to change in before a recording.

"We do like our contestants to be dressed smartly, so an effort would be appreciated.

"Although everyone is given a dust over by make-up before the show for camera purposes, do not expect a complete transformation."

Countdown airs weekdays at 2.10pm on Channel 4.