Abba fan Joanne is in the money, money, money

The 51-year-old carer from Hartlepool said, “I wanted to tell my sisters together but it was hard to speak to them at the same time, so I ended up calling them separately. When I told them they both just cried – it was very emotional for us all. I think that was the moment when it finally sank in for me too, that I really had won. I feel so lucky that this has happened – it’s just phenomenal.”

Joanne, who cares for children with disabilities, is already looking forward to treating herself and her loved ones. She said, “I do like going on holiday to Spain, but now I’m looking forward to some more exotic destinations like Barbados and the Maldives – two places that have always been on my wish list. I may even go on a world cruise as there are so many incredible places I want to visit."

She added, “I’m also excited to be able to treat my family later this year when my sisters and I are going to London to watch an Abba tribute show. This is a big trip for us that we’ve all been looking forward to for ages, but now I have the means to take our city break to another level and am going to book for us to take a helicopter ride to see the London skyline - it really will be an experience none of us will ever forget and the first of many brilliant adventures ahead I’m sure!”

Joanne’s winning story began when she woke up on a Friday after working a night shift to find a message from The National Lottery telling her to check her account.

She said, “I logged onto my account and couldn’t believe what I was reading. I had to re-read the message several times as I thought it was telling me what I could win, not what I had actually won! I jumped out of bed and went to tell my mum."

A call to The National Lottery claim line confirmed she had won the top Set For Life prize in the draw held on 22nd February 2024. Not wanting to let her colleagues down, Joanne went to work as usual.

She said, “Once I got to work I couldn’t help but tell the team what had happened. As you can imagine, it ended up being quite a lively shift after that as everyone was so happy and excited for me. Even then, I was still reluctant to let myself believe that it was actually real.”

Joanne, who has worked as a carer for 17 years, plays a variety of National Lottery games and only started playing Set For Life five months ago. She said, “Never in my wildest dreams did I think when I played that I’d actually win – I didn’t think things like this happened to real people like me, but I’m proof they really do!”

18th March 2024