A stunned van driver landed a life-changing £1m National Lottery scratchcard win - after quitting smoking.
John McFadden, 63, popped to the shops to buy a vape after deciding it was time for him to ditch the cigarettes.
With his change he bought a 50X Scratchcard - and was astonished to claim the top prize.
He has already splashed out on a new car and is planning a dream holiday to the South Pacific and South-East Asia.
Granddad-of-two John, from Southampton, said: “I knew I had to do something about my smoking.
“With the change from buying the vape, I bought a Scratchcard and took it home.
“When I started scratching it off, it said £50,000 under the first number and I thought ‘whoopee!’
“I carried on and just kept seeing more and more £50,000s. I thought it was a lot but didn’t know what to believe.”
John drove to the store where he bought the scratchcard and was told the win was too big for them to handle.
He added: “I called Camelot and was stunned when they said I had actually won £1M and that I was a millionaire.
“I couldn’t believe it was real.”
The divorced dad-of-three is planning to move closer to his children and grandchildren, who live in Weymouth, Dorset.
He said: “Having a base close to them will mean I can see them all so much more.
“Hopefully, the bar and hot tub I plan to have in my new back garden will also mean more fun family time.”
Despite his mega-win, John has no plans to quit his job delivering meat across the UK.
“I’m not planning to give up work - I’m nowhere near retirement age,” he said.
“But I do work long hours so cutting back a bit will help me to spend more time with family.”
John’s first purchase was a brand-new Skoda Kamiq and he is counting down the days until he can go on holiday.
He is already planning a bucket-list trip to Bora Bora and holidays in Cambodia and Vietnam.
John also plans to help out family.
He said: “I can help out my children and make sure that they have something to inherit when I am no longer around.”
John’s win came on a bumper Bank Holiday weekend for lottery winners.
On Good Friday one lucky Briton scooped the entire £122m Euromillions jackpot.
And the following day a single ticket-holder landed the £12,523,601 National Lottery jackpot.
That winner has yet to come forward to claim the cash.
