A LUCKY winner scooped a whopping £142,857 in the People’s Postcode Lottery – and her husband didn’t even know she played.
Gabrielle, from Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, was stunned to discover she had bagged the eye-watering jackpot – but hubby Pete was completely shocked.
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He wasn’t aware his wife was even entering the draw and joked he had to take his blood pressure tablets when found out.
Gabrielle, who cried with joy, told the Postcode Lottery: “Pete didn’t even know I was playing. He only found out when I got the phone call.
” I said, ‘I’ve just won the People’s Postcode Lottery,’ and he said, ‘What is that?’
“I feel fantastic. I can’t get over it. Never in a million years did I think it would be this much. This is a day to remember.”
Retired sheet metal worker Pete added: “This is phenomenal – like a dream come true.
“It’s a good job I took my blood pressure tablets this morning! When we woke up this morning I wondered if we had been dreaming.
“It doesn’t seem real.”
The winning couple are now set to upgrade their Barbados cruise, booked to mark their 40th wedding anniversary.
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They can trade in their inside cabin room for a balcony with a sea view.
And, to make celebrations even more special, they can pay for family and friends to join them.
Their two children and three grandchildren are also now jetting off to Salou, on Spain’s Costa Daurada, for a huge family holiday.
Meanwhile, New Year’s Eve will be spent at Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with the whole clan.
Gabrielle, a financial operations manager with Birmingham City University, added: “Dreams have come true today. We’re going on a cruise to Barbados to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We’ve got an inside cabin. Now we’ll upgrade to a balcony cabin.
“We’ve got the family going to Salou in July. Nine of us – we’ll pay for that. And we’ll pay for all the family to go away again at the end of the year to Bluestone.
“You hear about people winning around areas miles and miles away, but you never think it will happen to yourself.”
The winning couple shared the £1m jackpot with five neighbours in Sutton Coldfield, after B74 2EA landed Postcode Lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize on Saturday, January 6.
Another dad on the street told how he scooped a £142,000 lotto jackpot – and spent the money on his daughter.
Kevin McCann, 67, received a frantic call from his girl after she cracked a back molar the night before he landed the whopping sum.
Now kind-hearted Kevin has vowed to spend hundreds from his winnings on a crown for daughter Donna Hardwick, 45.
The dad-of-two said: “This is ridiculous, this never happens to us. I’m in shock.”
Wife Rita added: “It’s always us two that never wins anything. But with this I said that no matter how much it was, it would be wonderful and more money than we had yesterday.”
Meanwhile, fellow resident Sue Lamb was “overwhelmed” when she discovered the massive windfall just after Christmas – saying “it’s like having my children all over again”.
The Royal Mail catering assistant, 62, and hubby Mark were over the moon – but, they aren’t planning to splash the cash on luxury cars or expensive designer clothes first.
Some may even dub their first port of call ‘boring’ – while others would deem it practical and humble.
The pair are in fact planning on re-vamping their crumbling garden fence, after years of playful battering from three grandchildren.
To play the People’s Postcode Lottery, you have to sign up on the website and enter your bank details.
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You’re then automatically entered into a variety of different draws and prizes are announced every day.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
