A mum-to-be had an unexpected windfall that will help pay for the nappies and clothes for her newborn baby after a huge lottery win.
Alicia Harper, 23, from Arbroath, Scotland, who is expecting a baby boy in September had a lucky win – despite nearly forgetting to buy her EuroMillions ticket.
Alicia luckily remembered to put on the Lucky Dip ten minutes before the draw closed and ended up winning £1m.
She said: “I normally buy Lucky Dips using the National Lottery app. When I noticed I had an extra few pounds in my National Lottery account I decided to buy another one.”
It was the extra ticket that turned Alicia’s life around as she became an instant millionaire by matching the EuroMillions Millionaire Maker code in the draw.
Alicia said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw I had matched the EuroMillions Millionaire Maker code, so I had to ask my partner to check for me. He then called his dad who raced down to see us and check as well.
“We are all speechless.”
Because Alicia checked her ticket in the evening, she then had a stressful and sleepless night ahead of her before she could have the news confirmed by The National Lottery that she had become a millionaire.
She added: “My first reaction was just absolute shock. I just couldn’t believe it. Everyone is really happy for me – although my gran says she won’t believe it until she sees a picture of me holding the big cheque!”
Alicia celebrated her huge win with a glass of Irn Bru as she is unable to drink until her first baby is born in September.
She says it is this she is focusing on and is looking forward to welcoming the new addition to the lucky family.
She said: “The news is still sinking in but I’m so happy as we’re now sorted for life.
“The first thing we want to do is buy our forever home – somewhere for our wee boy and future children to grow up in.
“We’ll obviously spoil him when he arrives, but I’m determined he will grow up with good values when it comes to money.”
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Alicia, who has dreams of becoming a digital illustrator says they can now become a reality with the money from her Lottery win.
She said it would normally take a long time to save for but she can now do it whenever she likes.
Alicia added: “The money means I have the resources and comfort to work on my portfolio and when the time is right, I can do a university or college course. I have always loved art and animation and now I can make my dream come true.”
EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker guarantees to create a millionaire in every draw. For every line played, UK players automatically receive a UK Millionaire Maker code printed on their ticket.
By playing any National Lottery game, players generate an average of £36m every week for National Lottery-funded projects which helps support everything from local charities to the Olympic and Paralympic games. Over £43m has been raised to date and distributed to more than 635,000 individual grants.
