A lucky Asda employee who bagged the EuroMillions jackpot with a winning ticket she purchased at work has revealed her plans to finally experience her dream wedding with her long term partner after a 15 year engagement. The supermarket worker and her forklift driver partner, who have been together for 20 years, are now finally able to plan the wedding of a lifetime with their £1m lottery win.
Ellie Land, 41 purchased the winning EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker ticket on November 4 at the Asda store she works in at Drayton Road in Norwich, the Mirror reports.
Ellie and partner Karl Ward, 43, who also share two children together, are going to treat their son and daughter to their first holiday with the prize money as well as their dream wedding.
The pair had not been able to afford to get married because of the expenses of the big day and admitted they had prioritised their children over the years. Karl said: “We’ve been putting off getting married purely for the funds and to spend it on children and life.
"But now we’ve got the money we’re happy to get married at long last.” Delighted Ellie explained that she had bought the ticket ''on a whim'' as she had only jumped into the store to grab some bread and milk when she decided to spontaneously purchase one.
She said: “I don’t always play, just on a whim, so when my colleague wished me luck, I laughed and said ‘if I win something I’ll treat you’. Little did I think then that we’d win £1 million, I’ll certainly be going back with a little something for her.
"Thinking back on that day I keep laughing, I spent a penny and won a million.” The couple received the life changing news of their win after returning home from a wine-tasting event with friends.
Ellie recalled the unbelievable moment she checked her ticket on the National Lottery app while the family were all gathered around the TV. The gobsmacked mother then received a congratulatory message to inform her that she had won £1m to which she excitedly showed her husband who was equally as shocked.
Karl said: “It was a crazy moment, we just laughed and then sat in stunned silence. We realised the claim line was closed, so agreed Ellie would call first thing in the morning and then enjoyed a sleepless night, repeatedly saying to one another ‘is this real?’.
“In the morning Ellie was worried about being late for work, I bet the lady at Camelot who took the call couldn’t believe how quickly she rattled through the details so she could get into work by 9.30am.”
The couple now have big plans to buy a 'forever home' that they can call their own after 20 years of renting as well as treating their kids to a few special treats.
Miss Land said: “Our son is looking forward to receiving a PS5, just as soon as we can find one, while our daughter loves Disney so I think we will enjoy our first holiday abroad with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland.”
The hard working parents also revealed that despite their plans they will continue on in their jobs as Ellie said: “I enjoy my job, I’ve been there for as long as I have known Karl, so I won’t be giving it up, although I will say keeping this a secret has been pretty challenging.
“Many people have asked if Karl would leap at the chance to stop working – he’s been on night shift for six years – but he feels the same. But thinking about it, perhaps we will take some time off here and there to go to France, or even further afield, for a little wine-tasting in the vineyards as opposed to St Andrew’s Hall in Norwich.”
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