‘I gained £3m Omaze home – however I believed it was a joke by prankster relative’
A mum-of-three who won a £3million house thought it was a joke by the family’s notorious prankster.
Childcare worker Rachael Reid, 54, scooped the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Surrey.
She also won £100,000 in cash – for just £10 – as part of a prize draw that raised £3,450,000 for Prostate Cancer UK. Rachael is now the proud owner of a contemporary, five-bed room house near Farnham, complete with a pool house, gym and sauna.
READ MORE: Omaze fans say same thing about latest £5m house – and it’s about ‘where it is’
But when Omaze first contacted Rachael to tell her she thought it was her husband’s cousin playing a prank on her. An elated Rachael said: “When I first got the call from Omaze I was convinced it was my husband’s cousin Kevin doing a windup, as he’s a notorious prankster.
(Image: Omaze / SWNS)
“But when I poked my head out the door and saw the film crew – I realised it was the real deal.” Her big win means her husband of almost 30 years, Darren, 56, can finally retire from his job in the energy industry. It has required him to work away from home for weeks at a time for the past 36 years.
Rachael said “We’ve probably spent more time apart than together as a family, as my husband has had to work away so often, this win means we can now enjoy a Christmas together!”
The stunning property comes mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. Rachael has also been given £100,000 in cash to help her settle in – and can decide to either live in the house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it whenever she wishes to become a cash multi-millionaire.
(Image: Omaze / SWNS)
If Rachael decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value between £9,000 and £10,000 per month. Rachael, originally from Devon, who bought her £3,000,000 winning entry for just £10 – works at a Forest School as an assistant practitioner.
She and Darren have been married for 29 years and have lived in their current 3-bedroom house in Inverness for three years. They have two daughters, Alisha (25), Gabrielle (19) and son Harris (14).
“We already had friends and family coming over that night, when I said I’ve got something to tell everyone – my friend thought I was pregnant, I said ‘as if’! Despite winning a £3m house – we didn’t have anything to drink – so we had to dash out and buy some champagne to celebrate with.
(Image: Omaze / SWNS)
“My husband was away with work – he thought I was pulling his leg at first – he had to double check it wasn’t April Fool’s Day! It’s been so surreal – never in my wildest dreams did I ever think we’d own a multi-million-pound house.
“This house is absolutely stunning, walking through the gates and seeing it for the first time makes it feel real – it’s breathtaking. I love cooking, so the open plan kitchen is a bit of me, I can’t wait to get everyone together around the table for a family feast.
“I’ve been meaning to book a long overdue spa day for ages, but now we’ve got our very own spa in the garden, I can’t believe it!My husband can’t wait to dive into the swimming pool – he wishes he’d brought his trunks today!”
(Image: Mark Field / Omaze)
She added: “It’s obviously an unbelievable house – but we’ll most likely sell it to bank the cash, as the huge amount of money will change our lives, and the lives of our children forever.
“We’ve already pocketed £100k as part of the win – which would easily cover any running costs here for years – but I think we’ll sell it to release the money and buy another amazing place, or even build a new home near where we already live, which is something we’ve always dreamed of – it’s all so exciting!
“We’ll definitely have a big family holiday here first so we can all enjoy the house together. The money from a sale is going to change everything for us – and all from just a £10 entry – it’s the best tenner I’ve ever spent.”
(Image: Omaze / SWNS)
As well as making Rachael a multi-millionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Surrey, also raised £3,450,000 for Prostate Cancer UK in just six weeks.
The money raised from the partnership with Omaze will help to fund TRANSFORM – a major, world leading research programme that will test new ways of diagnosing prostate cancer and lead to the first ever UK wide prostate cancer screening programme for men.
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