A National Lottery winner has said that her hands were "literally shaking" when she discovered that she and her husband had pocketed £1million.
Margaret Campbell, 60, and her husband John, 73, were holidaying on the Greek island of Rhodes, celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, when an email arrived from the National Lottery alerting them to a prize.
The Merseyside couple had purchased their regular Lucky Dip ticket for the Euromillions draw before departing for their Mediterranean break.
However, restrictions on accessing the National Lottery app from overseas meant the couple remained unaware of the scale of their windfall throughout their week of sunshine and swimming.
The National Lottery |
Margaret and John scooped £1million in the Euromillions raffle
Upon their 4am arrival in Liverpool, Margaret's initial priorities were to do the washing and catch up on sleep.
She had received notification of a lottery win while in Rhodes but presumed it would be the typical modest amount.
"I looked on the app and I'd only matched one number, and it took me a few seconds to realise it was the Millionaire Maker code. I said to John, 'I think I've won a million pounds,' and he immediately said it must be a scam," she recalled.
The couple's winning ticket had matched the UK Millionaire Maker raffle code MQDD 67764 from the June 24 draw.
The confirmation of their fortune involved a memorable telephone conversation with Allwyn, the National Lottery's operator.
Margaret explained: "The lady on the phone told me to get a pen and a piece of paper. She said write this down - one, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero.
"That's what you've won, £1million. I was literally shaking, my hands were shaking."
Margaret admitted she only truly accepted their millionaire status when her bank notification showed the seven-figure deposit.
The National Lottery
|The couple credits their luck to their beloved pet, Kash, who passed away just before their anniversary trip
The windfall will primarily benefit the Campbell family, with plans to assist their two adult sons with property and vehicle payments.
The couple have already arranged an August getaway and is considering purchasing a new vehicle.
John credits their extraordinary luck to their beloved pet, Kash, who passed away just before their anniversary trip.
"He was a lovely dog and only six years old. Sadly, he wasn't well and couldn't be helped. We keep saying that it is Kash looking down on us and bringing us cash with this big win," John reflected.