Woman who received dream £5m Omaze residence does what we would all do with it right away

A mature student who won a £5m Grade II-listed townhouse in an Omaze prize draw has decided to sell up after two months.

Oceanne Belle, 49, said she and her partner want to cash in to move closer to family and friends – and help her achieve her dream of becoming a paediatric nurse.

Before the win, Oceanne had spent weeks sofa-surfing as a rent increase forced her and her partner out of their flat, Mail Online reports.

READ MORE: Most expensive Omaze house with £5million has links to England footballing icon

She won the Grade II-listed property in Chelsea, one of the capital’s most expensive postcodes, after paying £10 for a ticket in the most valuable Omaze Million Pound House draw ever held.

The University of Sunderland student moved into the three-bedroom Georgian townhouse, which boasts three bedrooms and three bathrooms with a balcony overlooking other million-pound homes, with partner Didine.

She also won £100,000 in cash which she said meant she had no money worries while living in the area.

But despite enjoying ‘waking up in luxury’, she has put the house, which is close to the King’s Road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, on the market.

At the time of the draw last December, she and her partner Didine had been ‘sofa surfing’ at friends’ homes.

The couple, who are originally from the Seychelles, had been forced to leave their flat in Barking, East London, after their landlord put up the rent.

She said: “Winning this incredible Omaze house has been so life changing for me – I still can’t believe it actually happened – going from sofa surfing to living in a £5million house is still hard to comprehend.

“We’ve loved every second we’ve spent at the house, it’s been amazing waking up in such a luxurious home every morning – we’ve enjoyed the area so much – and our neighbours are so lovely, we’ve been made to feel part of the community which has been wonderful.

“The £100,000 I also received as part of my win meant we’ve never had any worries about staying here – and if we wanted to, we could easily live here for at least another five years just on that money alone.

“But we’ve decided to cash in and move a bit closer to our friends and family – and also release the huge amount of money from the sale so we can help our loved ones and enjoy the rest of our lives worry free.”

It was the third time Belle entered the competition, which organisers said also raised £2.6m for NHS charities.

The estate agent, in the listing, described it as “an outstanding grade II listed freehold house.”

The listing says the property has “been completely renovated and remodelled to create a meticulously designed bespoke house with an attractive 15 x 15ft west-facing garden.”

She is not the first Omaze winner who decided to sell up and cash in on their prize.

Only three out of 15 winners since Omaze launched the property draws in 2020 have kept their properties.

Last year grandmother June Smith,74, listed her stunning Cornish mansion on the market for £4.5million- as did Uttam Parmar, 58, who put his £3m home in Rock, Cornwall, on the market saying he could not afford to pay the running costs.

He also felt like he did not fit into the popular celebrity haunt, where chefs Gordon Ramsay and Rick Stein have properties.

Marilyn Pratt sold her winning £3million house in Fulham, London, because she wanted to give her two daughters £1million each to buy their own homes.

Widower Ian Garrick also decided to cash in on his £1million house in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire.

The 58-year-old, from Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, won the first Omaze prize in 2020. But he sold the house to buy a £500,000 home near to his old home and family.

Since it launched, Omaze has donated over £11m to UK charities.

Tickets for the draws cost £10 and winners have 96 hours to claim their prize and agree to the terms and conditions for ownership.

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