Jane O'Brien had been carrying her winning EuroMillions ticket around in her handbag for three months before she found out she had won.
She says the win will change her life. A Transport for London Traffic Operator, the 36-year-old from Ruislip found out she was a winner on Thursday last week, after clearing out her handbag and finding the old ticket.
“I was sitting having breakfast and I went online to check. I can't tell you how many times I must have checked that raffle number.
“I called the number on the back of the ticket and said 'I hope I'm not wasting your time, but I think I've won a million'. The lady asked me if I was alone in the house and told me I could scream now. I jumped up and down like a mad woman,” Miss O’Brien said.
The millionaire was just inside the cut off point of 180 days to claim her prize winnings after hitting the jackpot in the EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle selection from May 10.
Jane (pictured with her handbag) dares not think what could have been if her handbag had been stolen. She said: “I take my bag out with me for drinks after work, I take it everywhere, who knows what could have happened to it, and all the while I had the winning ticket in there.”
After it was confirmed that Miss O'Brien had won the million, she called up her boss and asked for the day off. “I said, ‘would it be okay if I could have the day off because I've just won £1million?' I don't think she'd heard that excuse before.”
Now she has banked the money, Miss O’Brien is looking forward to spending it on her family, with a cruise lined up for her and her parents Brenda and Eddie, her auntie and her brother and sister-in-law, and a plan to buy her dream home after years of renting.
“It’s always been a dream of mine that me and my mum live next door to each other, so we will find somewhere where we can do that, but I would like to stay local.
“I’ve been saving for years for a deposit and to be able to buy a house outright with no more rent or a mortgage, that will change my life.
“My family are over the moon for me. My dad wants to throw a party.”
Buy your copy of the Gazette next Wednesday to read more about Jane’s £1m win.
