Neil Jones and his partner Julie Kirkham were facing a bleak Christmas. Jones works laying tile, but business has been bad, and the couple were forced to borrow money to make it through the holidays.

“We’ve just been scraping along,” he said. “We borrowed some money so we could get through Christmas, knowing that in the New Year there were a couple of jobs possibly in the pipeline.”

Down to his last £13, Jones decided to throw caution to the wind, and he went out and bought three lottery tickets at Bargain Booze in hometown of Fenton. His risky strategy paid off, because now the self-employed 47-year-old is a millionaire.

One of the tickets Jones bought was a winner in last Wednesday’s draw, netting the couple a £2,446,436 jackpot. The winning lotto numbers were 14, 16, 23, 24, 25 and 43.

“At first I thought we had won £10, and then I realized we had all six numbers. I called to Julie to come and check the ticket too as my hands were shaking so much. She thought I was pulling her leg.”

Kirkham is just as excited as Jones. “My head is in bits and I can’t think straight,” said the sandwich shop assistant.

The couple plans to buy a house and take a holiday in Egypt.

Neil Jones and his partner Julie Kirkham were facing a bleak Christmas. Jones works laying tile, but business has been bad, and the couple were forced to borrow money to make it through the holidays.

“We’ve just been scraping along,” he said. “We borrowed some money so we could get through Christmas, knowing that in the New Year there were a couple of jobs possibly in the pipeline.”

Down to his last £13, Jones decided to throw caution to the wind, and he went out and bought three lottery tickets at Bargain Booze in hometown of Fenton. His risky strategy paid off, because now the self-employed 47-year-old is a millionaire.

One of the tickets Jones bought was a winner in last Wednesday’s draw, netting the couple a £2,446,436 jackpot. The winning lotto numbers were 14, 16, 23, 24, 25 and 43.

“At first I thought we had won £10, and then I realized we had all six numbers. I called to Julie to come and check the ticket too as my hands were shaking so much. She thought I was pulling her leg.”

Kirkham is just as excited as Jones. “My head is in bits and I can’t think straight,” said the sandwich shop assistant.

The couple plans to buy a house and take a holiday in Egypt.