Andy Hornsby, 56, from Redcar and Cleveland, scooped a life-changing £1million Euromillions jackpot just before before the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve
An NHS worker bagged a life changing Euromillions jackpot just 10 minutes before the clock struck midnight on New year’s Eve. Andy Hornsby from Redcar and Cleveland could barely contain his excitement, recounting how he had become inexplicably drawn to the lottery draw on December 31.
The 56-year-old popped down to his local Asda for two tickets due to the “funny feeling”. His hunch was spot on as with moments to spare before Big Ben chimed in the new year, and while his partner was out of sight, he quickly checked the tickets and discovered he was a newly minted millionaire.
Andy couldn’t believe his luck, saying: “I’ll admit I’ve had some memorable New Year’s Eves, but nothing comes close to this! I was just about to do another round of drinks for the midnight cheers when I, slightly bizarrely, decided to check my tickets online.
“I thought the EuroMillions Millionaire Maker code matched but, as I didn’t have my glasses on, I couldn’t be sure so handed the ticket to my stepdaughter to check as she was stood beside me. She scanned the ticket on her National Lottery app and as a £1,000,000 win popped up we both just started laughing.”
He amusingly added that his partner mistook their merrymaking as the midnight countdown, “My partner thought she’d missed midnight when she walked into the lounge to hear us all cheering, but instead of saying ‘Happy New Year’, I said, ‘I think we’re millionaires’ to which she replied, ‘don’t be so stupid’! The rest of the evening is a blur, I don’t think we even wished anyone a Happy New Year, as we just checked and rechecked the ticket.”
“It was so surreal we couldn’t help but laugh as the news slowly settled in. My partner’s biggest concern was that I’d spend it all in BandM! ” said 56 year old Andy, who has worked for the NHS for over a decade.
He rang Allwyn at the National Lottery Line on New Year’s Day to confirm his win, but even after being told he was Yorkshire’s newest millionaire, it still didn’t sink in, reports the Mirror.
“It’s funny, although I knew it’s possible to win, and always hoped I would, I just couldn’t take in that I’d spent £2.50 on a Lucky Dip ticket in my local Asda and in return, I was now a millionaire! I work with a great group of people, we share the highs and lows of life, so as soon as the win was confirmed I sent them a screengrab of the win with a message, ‘Happy New Year, I’ve won The National Lottery’.
“Going in for my shift the next day there were plenty of congratulations and a fair bit of banter too, that helped it to feel real!”
Andy, who confessed he ‘hardly ever plays EuroMillions’, is still laughing about his ‘funny feeling’ the day before New Year’s Eve that prompted him to go to Asda just to buy the tickets. “Normally I wouldn’t spend £5 on tickets but I just followed some gut instinct, bought two tickets and, when I got home, put them both under the lucky shamrock stone we keep on the mantlepiece. I think we can all agree that Lady Luck was smiling on me that day, and that our lucky stone is definitely lucky!”.
Andy and his long-term love, Mandy, are not hanging about when it comes to setting up their future together. After years of renting, the lovebirds, who got engaged not long ago, have already snapped up their dream home—a cosy bungalow in their top-choice North Yorkshire spot.
Over the moon, Andy shared: “We’re getting married in May, it will be amazing to start our married life mortgage free, in our forever home and in our dream location. And for the moments when we want to change location, I’ve bought a VW Campervan to explore more of the UK.”
“I can’t wait to pack up the camper on a Friday night, with our beloved dog, Bella, on board, and hit the open road for the weekend. I’m also going to help my stepdaughter onto the property ladder, in fact the offer on her new home has just been accepted so the race is on to see who is in first! She was there when the win was discovered and it’s brilliant to be in the position to help her to start her adult life with this extra step up.”
Looking down the road, Andy mentioned he’s really into his gig as a specialist medical delivery driver within the community and plans to keep at it, while his partner in crime, whose job involved shifting work patterns, has joyfully quit her job for more spur-of-the-moment jaunts and extended vacays. He added: “I enjoy what I do, I’ve worked all my life so see no need to stop at present. But not being tied by Mandy’s shifts will give us so much more freedom, and time to enjoy our new home together.”
“Alongside the campervan adventures, we’re planning to do lots more cruising. We’ve enjoyed trips around the Caribbean and Mediterranean, in fact it was on our Italian cruise that I surprised Mandy with an engagement ring at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Perhaps we’ll go back again on our first wedding anniversary, or maybe further afield, it’s crazy to think, the world is literally our oyster!”
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