James Clarkson, 20, couldn’t believe his luck when he won a £7,533,329 Lotto jackpot on January 4. The tradesman, who works with his parents Stephen and Becky, bought the winning ticket after winning £120 in the special Christmas Day draw. He used part of his winnings to buy five more Lotto lines for the New Year’s first draw, including two Lucky Dip lines and three with random numbers. One of those random lines changed his life.
On January 5, James was at his girlfriend’s house and woke up early to see the snow. But the snow wasn’t the only surprise—he also saw a message from the lottery saying he had won.
Excited, he woke up his girlfriend to tell her the news. “She didn’t believe me, turned over, and went back to sleep!” James recalled. He then called his dad, who was awake, and went home to check the ticket together.
James said, “I was at my girlfriend’s house and got up early to check on the snowfall. I saw a message on the National Lottery app. When I opened it, I saw I’d matched all six numbers and won £7,533,329! I thought I was dreaming. It was only 7:30 am, so everyone was asleep. I woke my girlfriend and showed her my phone. She took a glance, said ‘no, you haven’t won,’ and went back to sleep!”
James called his dad, who asked him to come home. With his family, James waited until the National Lottery Line opened at 9 am. “When they confirmed I’d won, I just started laughing,” James said. “It felt unreal.”
That day, he visited his family and girlfriend to share the news. By evening, they celebrated at his grandparents’ house with a roast dinner and champagne. But the next day, James was back at work with his dad, fixing blocked drains. “I’m not going to stop working. I’m too young, and I want to qualify as a heating engineer,” James explained.
Though he plans to keep working, James has already booked a luxury holiday to Cape Verde and bought a few designer items. His next goal is to buy a new car, preferably an Audi.
