Craig’s burger bonus. Would you like ‘prize’ with that?

Craig, 36, said, “My brother and I decided I should keep it close, literally, so we put the ticket in a plastic bag and taped it to my body!

“We must have looked crazy as he held the roll of tape and I twirled around to make sure it was stuck securely to my body. It didn’t last long as I quickly got very sweaty, and it wasn't staying stuck to me, so we settled on keeping it in a saucepan on the top of a kitchen cabinet instead. You clearly don’t think straight when you find out you’re a millionaire!”

The story of Craig’s amazing win began when he decided to pop out for a lunchtime burger. With a bit of time to kill he visited a local store, picked up a drink for his brother and two National Lottery Scratchcards.

The father-of-four said, “I went out for lunch and came back a millionaire.”

When Craig told his wife, Zoe, he was a National Lottery millionaire she assumed it was a prank. Zoe said, “Craig is always winding me up, so I just didn't believe him. I was at work cleaning a client’s house and I had to finish before I could leave and meet Craig. I remember thinking, ‘is this real? Has our life just changed forever?’ I finished the house in record time – never has a carpet been hoovered so quickly!”

When Zoe arrived at Craig’s workplace, she saw the looks on everyone’s faces and realised the big win was very real. She said, “I sat on the floor and cried. It was just the relief that we could sort our home out and get a bedroom for all the kids. We love where we live – it's a beautiful spot and the neighbours are brilliant – but the bungalow isn’t big enough for the six of us.”

Craig and Zoe, who have been married for six years, have four children aged from 5 to 11. They bought their two-bedroom bungalow nine years ago and even appeared on the TV show ‘Homes Under the Hammer’.

Zoe said, “This win has just been incredible for our family and we can’t wait to start work on our new home. I have sketchbooks full of floor plans – it’s my favourite hobby! We’re both still young and enjoy our jobs, so will continue working.”

13th March 2025