James had only been buying tickets since April, and last month he decided to check his phone one night when he could not sleep. He found that he had a message from the National Lottery. He told Derbyshire Live: “I was going to wait until the morning but curiosity got the better of me, so I picked up my phone and it said 'Congratulations, you have won £1m on the EuroMillions Millionaire Maker.' The next 10 minutes is a blackout, a lot of sitting very still and staring at my phone, counting the zeros. I just thought this cannot be real, I must be reading something wrong."
As Victoria was fast asleep, James decided to wait until she woke up to share the news, and he recalls her ‘just staring at the phone for some time’. She said: "I had no idea James had been playing the lottery so when he passed me his phone I was confused. It was completely mental."
‘Everything Is Easier Now’
Victoria, 35, who has two children who live with the couple, is looking forward to being able to splash out on the kids and go on holiday ‘without scrimping and saving’. However, she has no plans to quit her job as a teaching assistant at Derby Moor school as she says she would be too bored at home.
James, who is also 35, says he would like to give up work, while he is also on the lookout for a new car and wants to buy their rented council house. He has started thinking about a few holidays and perhaps buying property in Spain, but admits they have been ‘terrified of spending any of it’ so far.
James, who has been training to be a mortgage advisor, says the main thing is just how much pressure the win has lifted from their shoulders. He explained: “I have lived virtually my whole life hand to mouth but everything is easier now. We will always have a roof over our heads. It's an alien feeling.”
EuroMillions Jackpot Hits £74 Million
If you buy a EuroMillions ticket in the UK, you are automatically entered into the supplementary Millionaire Maker game at the same time. You are given a unique code for every line of numbers you play in the main game, and if you match the winning code exactly you win £1 million. There are two guaranteed winners in every draw.
The EuroMillions jackpot has also jumped to £74 million ahead of Friday night’s draw following another rollover on Tuesday. It is the largest prize to have been offered on the game since April, making it a perfect time to take part. Once the draw is over, you can use the EuroMillions Checker to find out if you have won a prize on both the main game and the Millionaire Maker.