A British grandmother who scooped a £3.8million lottery jackpot just before Christmas has revealed she was ‘physically sick’ after realising it was real.
The former social services worker, who lives in a three-bedroom bungalow estimated at £154,000 in Rhyl, Wales, checked her ticket using the National Lottery app when it ‘made a funny sound’ before she saw the staggering amount.
The grandmother-of-seven said she was in ‘total disbelief’ and had to wake up her husband Michael, a 74-year-old retired HGV driver, to check that the ticket was real.
Diane Bate (pictured with her 74-year-old husband Michael), 70, landed the prize on December 12 after purchasing a ticket from an Asda in Flintshire, north-east Wales
Diane and Michael pictured celebrating their huge £3.8million win. The grandmother said she was ‘physically sick’ after realising the ticket was real
She said: ‘I looked at the amount and couldn’t quite believe my eyes, I thought, “surely that can’t be right?!” The most I have ever won before is £100.
‘I was in total disbelief so I woke Michael up to check the ticket – he wasn’t happy but we’ve been married 52 years so he soon got over it! I still didn’t believe it, so I also checked it with my granddaughter too.
‘I must have checked it about six times in total before I started to believe it was real, and at that point, I was physically sick!’
Ms Bate added: ‘My granddaughters played a trick on me once and had convinced me that I’d won £1,000 on the Bingo, which nearly gave me a heart attack.
‘The feeling of winning the lottery doesn’t even compare – I am on cloud nine!’
She cooked a Sunday roast afterwards to distract herself from the huge win and called her family to tell them the news.
Ms Bate, who has three daughters, Sheryl, Sasha and Sara, said: ‘I called my daughter and she thought I was kidding.
‘I then called my grandson and he didn’t believe me either so, as part of our support bubble, he rushed round instantly to check the ticket for himself.’
The grandmother, pictured with her husband, from Rhyl, Wales, checked her ticket using the National Lottery app when it ‘made a funny sound’ before she saw the staggering amount
She plans to buy a larger house in the area where she currently lives, but ‘doesn’t want a mansion or anything flashy’.
Ms Bate and her husband also hope to travel to Australia, to see their daughter, the USA and Canada.
She added: ‘We will definitely be treating ourselves to first class flights on our travels!
‘There is nothing in particular I want, I have everything I need really, but buying a new handbag always makes me feel nice.’
Celebrating having £3.8million in the bank, however, will have to wait for the mother-of-three, who is subject to Wales’s strict lockdown rules.
She cannot even dash to the shops to get some extra Christmas presents for her grandchildren due to the Government’s rules.
Ms Bate also hopes to help out her granddaughter with the winnings.
The former social services worker lives in a three-bedroom bungalow (above) estimated at £154,000 in Rhyl, Wales. She plans to buy a larger house in the same area
She purchased the ticket from an Asda on St Asaph Avenue (pictured above) in Flintshire, north-east Wales and matched all six main numbers in the December 12 draw
She said: ‘One of our granddaughters is getting married in the USA in January.
‘We aren’t able to attend due to Covid unfortunately, but the win means we can help out financially and help give her an amazing wedding.
‘Michael has suffered from ill health recently so this win is a real pick-me-up for the both of us.
‘Being able to help out our family brings us so much happiness – it isn’t just a win for me, it’s a win for them too.’
Ms Bate matched all six main numbers in the Lotto draw. The winning numbers were 13, 38, 39, 49, 53, 56 and the Bonus Ball number was 59.