The 46-year-old, who works for the NSPCC, considers herself to be something of a EuroMillions fan and regularly buys her tickets online, usually weeks in advance of each draw. However, when Jacqui received word from the National Lottery informing her that she was a prize winner, the mother-of-one dismissed the message: “When I saw the email telling me I’d had a win I assumed it was something small so just didn’t get around to checking it,” she told Lottery officials. “That'll be another £2.40,” the unsuspecting winner sighed.
Weeks went by and Jacqui’s inbox remained undisturbed, all the while a sizeable sum of money was just waiting to be discovered. “I was at work one morning, getting ready for the day ahead, when I remembered to log into my account to see what the win was,” she explained. “I was chatting to my colleague and not really paying attention to my lottery account. When I saw the first message in my account was alerting me that I’d won a Lucky Dip I assumed that was the win, until I read the second message, which was about a £1 million win.”
In a state of complete shock, the full-time business support manager calmly left the office and made her way into the corridor to contact the National Lottery claims line. Once the win had been verified, Jacqui felt a surge of raw emotion: 'I have to admit I went a little crazy in the corridor - leaping about and squealing.” The newly crowned millionaire phoned her husband to deliver the fantastic news before returning calmly to her desk: “It was certainly one occasion when my schoolgirl drama training came in handy, as I did my level-best to look calm and collected while inside I was screaming ‘I'm a millionaire’.”
With the seven-figure sum now safely in her bank account, Jacqui has already started planning on how she will spend some of her newfound wealth, with a £32,000 BMW 320 high on her list of priorities. There are also plans being made for the winner and her family to fly first class to Dubai. However, the charity worker was quick to remind fellow players that taking part in National Lottery games can benefit the country as a whole: “I've always played the lottery hoping to win but also because I know first-hand how many charities in the UK benefit from lottery funding.”
If you would like to be in with a chance of scooping one of tonight’s UK Millionaire Maker prizes, free entry into the supplementary game is available to all UK-based ticket holders. There is also a guaranteed €17 million (£14 million) EuroMillions jackpot up grabs. Tickets are available to buy online or from any authorised retailer. Good luck!