Grandmother finds out she is a millionaire by accident

A grandmother discovered she is a millionaire by accident after winning more than £1.1 million in the National Lottery.

The woman from Eastbourne scooped £1,126,231 in the Lotto ‘Must Be Won’ draw on April 25 after matching five main numbers and the bonus ball.

The winner, a retiree in her 70s who wishes to remain anonymous, only discovered her win when she rang the National Lottery Line to update her bank card.

When an agent noticed the large unclaimed prize on her account, they broke the news.

(Image: EDDIE MITCHELL)

The winner said: “I was so shocked when I heard the news – I couldn’t believe it.

“I was really lucky – not only had I won on the Lotto ‘Must Be Won’ draw, meaning I won an extra £26K, I also had an additional £54 and a free Lucky Dip ticket win.

“It was just win, win, win.”

In total, her winnings came to £1,126,285.

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The woman, who always plays using the same set of numbers of personal significance to her, now plans to use her windfall to buy a home.

Kathy Garrett, senior winners’ advisor at Allwyn, the operator of The National Lottery, said: “Congratulations to our extra lucky ‘Must Be Won’ Eastbourne winner.

“What a fantastic way to find out you’re a millionaire – and totally unexpected.

“We wish you all the best with your house purchase.”

Every week, National Lottery players raise around £33 million for good causes across the UK, supporting projects in the arts, sports, heritage, and community sectors.

Since its launch in 1994, more than £53 billion has been raised through the lottery, funding over 680,000 projects.

From this month, changes to the Lotto draw mean each £2 line will offer two chances to win, increasing the odds of winning any prize from 1 in 9.3 to 1 in 4.9.

Players must be 18 or older to take part in the National Lottery and are encouraged to play responsibly.