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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Lucy Skoulding

Bus driver wins £1m on lottery scratchcard while waiting for doner kebab

National Lottery

A bus driver who popped out to buy a loaf of bread and a doner kebab ended up going home with a £1m lottery jackpot.

Steve Goodwin bought a scratchcard at his local supermarket in Devon on Easter Monday while shopping for bread.

He then went to order a doner kebab and decided to find out if he had won while waiting for his food in Holsworth.

Mr Goodwin said he cried tears of joy on the drive home after discovering he had won the jackpot.

The 51-year-old, who has rented all his life, now says he will use his winnings to buy his first home mortgage-free.

He said: “I can’t remember much of the journey, as I was a bit emotional. I am not embarrassed to say I shed a tear.

“I told my landlady that I needed to make an important call and asked if I could use her landline, and I rang the National Lottery people.”

Mr Goodwin said he immediately called his girlfriend Heidi Hammond, 51, to share the good news - and at first she did not believe him.

The bus driver even slept with the scratchcard under his pillow after he won.

He then went to work as usual for Go Cornwall the next day, driving his usual bus route from Launceston to Plymouth.

He said: “As the people hopped on, I was chuckling to myself. There I was a bus driver, with a load of passengers on board, and nobody knows I’m a millionaire.

“I love my job, it’s great to meet so many people and the countryside as you drive around is sometimes breathtaking.

“When they found out I had won, they were delighted for me. They couldn’t be happier for me.”

“I will continue working, so will Heidi but we plan to have more holidays,” he added.

“We are now both debt free which is unbelievable and it’s a wonderful nest egg for our retirement. Life is pretty good.”

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