Ex-Paratrooper celebrated £4.5m Omaze mansion with a burger and pint down the pub
An ex-Paratrooper has revealed how he celebrated winning a massive £4.5 million mansion in a house draw – the lucky winner said ‘It still feels like a dream some mornings’
An ex-Paratrooper has revealed how he celebrated winning a massive £4.5 million mansion in Omaze Million House Draw.
Daren Bell, 54, won the breath-taking nine bedroom coastal home in Norfolk in a £10 house draw in 2023. On top of this Daren got the property mortgage free with all stamp duties and legal fees covered as well as a nice sum of money to help him settle in. The ex-Paratrooper revealed his first thoughts upon seeing his property and said: “I saw the house, apart from ‘Wow, wow, wow’, was that this needed to be a home for all of us.”
“When Omaze rocked up and told me I’d won this place, I was totally gobsmacked.” Daren said, explaining how news of his victory reached him.
On the life changing turn of events Daren has said: “It still feels like a dream some mornings, even though we’ve lived in the house for well over a year now. Winning something of this magnitude does take a while to sink in, it’s not every day you become a multi-millionaire overnight.”
Despite this massive life changing win Daren only decided to celebrate modestly with a burger and a pint at his local pub.
“I’ve never been the showy type, so to celebrate, we just went for a burger at a local pub, no champagne or anything, just a pint for me and a glass of wine for my partner Claire, while we sat there trying to comprehend what just happened.”
Daren opened up on how the new house has made it possible for his entire family to move in together – all live under a single roof – he commented: “My partner Claire has four children, aged nine to 16 and there was no space for me in her rented home. I lived around the corner, in Bournemouth, with my four cats and a fish, in a four-bedroom property I owned.”
The ex-Paratrooper opened up about how the kids are enjoying their new home and said: “The kids love it, they’ve learnt to swim in the pool, it’s great that they had the opportunity to learn such an important life skill in their own back garden!”
Daren’s beautiful multimillion pound property came complete with a swimming pool and stunning coastal views of the Blakeney salt marshes and harbour. After his historic win he has urged others to give the Omaze Million Pound House Draw a go.
“I never in a million years expected to win – but I did – so all I can say to anyone thinking about entering is go for it.”
